Doerai: Dawn of the Darkness
by MeganePurinko
Summary: Sequel to Doerai: The Face of Betrayal. A joint effort with S.P.D. Gold Ranger. In the end, there is only a new beginning. The story continues as Nick and his friends go through another set of experiences... And what of the others? Now complete!
1. At The Beginning Of Twilight

A light flashes across the sky, like a shooting star.

Every story has an end... Or does it? Really, in the end, there is none. Just, new beginnings.

It was well late into the day. Almost 6 o'clock sharp.

A figure can be seen walking through the lonely streets of Misora, a town once so proud, now rubble from the disaster that it was saved from over 2 months ago.

This figure was a girl, but her features were unknown as the wind blew.

"I swear to God..." she stated to no one in particular. "I will find you..."

"That's a promise."

Every story, like most, begins with a boy or a girl. This story begins with both.

A short-tempered boy, always charging into action without a second thought, a protector among his lucky friends.

A tender-hearted girl, always full of grace and brilliance that delicately went well with her constant blushes.

So far, yet so close.

The twilight dimmed, just before the leaves blew in the wind.

Even the spirits of beyond weren't oblivious to the adventure and continued tragedy that was about to take place soon.

It was only a matter of time.

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(Even in the brightest light, there is always a little bit of darkness.)

**YukiShinoya444** and **S.P.D. Gold Ranger** present:

_Doerai: Dawn of the Darkness_

Story Created: November 9th, 2008

Summary: AU. In the end, there is only a new beginning. The story continues as Nick and his friends go through another set of experiences... And what of the others?

Authoress' Notes: This time, I will do the odds and Nick-kun will do the evens! Wai~

**Disclaimer: ...Shouldn't it be obvious by now we don't own anything?**

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Phase 1: At The Beginning Of Twilight (written by **YukiShinoya444**)

"Another homicide reported... Police have no leads... But witnesses confirm a laughing tanuki... Could the old myths be true?"

Akemi Suzuki flickered off the television, shaking her head. It was crazy. Now the people were starting to get suspicious...

And if this kept up...

She flinched, turning to her sleeping boyfriend on the couch. She crept up to him, her steps so light it was like she was floating.

"Nick... Are you still asleep?" she whispered, lightly shaking his shoulder.

Nick didn't stir but muttered in his sleep, rolling over against the couch, earning Akemi's delicate giggle.

"That's what I thought."

Ruffling his brown hair, she sighed, sitting down.

"Oh, Moriko-chan..." she set her head down, heaving. "I wish..."

_Moriko-chan..._

She shook her head. "No... Maybe I should visit Yuki-chan and Doremi-chan... Those two..." she smiled, that smile fading at the sight of the clock.

"Urr... Maybe not this late... Tomorrow..."

Yawning, Akemi stretched out, curling into a ball on the couch beside Nick.

It wasn't long before her eyes fluttered close and she fell asleep.

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_"Hello?"_

_Yuki looked around the desolate land, sighing._

_She quickly shook her head, and continued walking. The breeze flew around her, either in comfort or to freeze her to death. Yuki tucked a strand of hair behind her ear._

_Yuki opened her mouth and let out a light breath, her arms swung as she continued walking, stumbling over her own feet._

_"Yuki-chan... Where do you plan on going?" the voice asked, the question sounded almost sarcastic._

_She looked over her shoulder, a smile curling around her lips._

_"You still can't stay away... Thank you."_

_He huffed, lightly growling. "You're dreaming, Yuki-chan."_

_"Can you blame me?" she asked, a weak chuckle escaping her lips. "It's funny. Doremi-chan deserves better..."_

_"Onii-chan does, too." he replied, glumly._

_She closed her eyes, nodding._

_"Yes..."_

_The wind blew furiously and he appeared behind her, arms crossed._

_"Tell me what you really want." Saiki demanded in a low voice, tensing up._

_"I want you to be here. With me." she muttered, still not facing, fearing, that if she did, he would disappear like the mirage he was._

_"I'm sorry..." he whispered, looking down. "That's impossible."_

_"Everything is!!" she snapped, facing him. "Everything's impossible for us!"_

_"There is none." he corrected. "Different worlds from the start. Grasp the fact that I'm not alive."_

_"I don't wanna..." Yuki murmured, frowning as she looked away. "I don't wanna leave Doremi-chan. I don't want to be separated..."_

_"Stubborn little girl." he growled then. "You don't know ANYTHING!"_

_She flinched, staring at him._

_"Who... are you?" she asked in a shaky voice. There was no way this person could be her Saiki._

_A smirk twitched at his lips and he held out his hand. The black witch walked forward, reaching out to place her own hand in his._

_There was a flare._

_Yuki yelped, quickly jumping back. She held her hand, her heart pounding._

_"You aren't Saiki-kun... You aren't my Saiki-kun."_

_The fake Saiki smirked, letting out a dark laugh. "Slow as usual, Yuki-chan. You're really desperate, aren't you?"_

_"Who are you?" she asked again, her hand tightening against her. "Go... away."_

_"Can't even let go of her dead lover... Would you like to go there?"_

_She flinched and he was in front of her in half a second. His finger traced a line on her delicate neck._

_Yuki froze, eyes wide like a frightened rabbit._

_"You belong in hell. I told you earlier I would drag you there myself, well..." He smirked as the line began to fill with blood, trickling down her neck._

_Yuki stood there, her lips parted in horror._

_His smile turned dark and menacing._

_"All's fair in love and war, love."_

_A loud piercing scream filled the area._

Yuki woke up with a gasp. She rose, tears streaming down her rosy cheeks, eyes full of shock still.

"Saiki-kun..." she whispered, pulling her knees close as she shuddered. It felt freezing, just like in her dream--no, her _nightmare_.

Blinking the stray tears from her eyes, she looked over at Doremi, who was still fast asleep.

"Talk about a heavy sleeper..." Yuki mused, tracing her fingers on her best friend's long, cherry red hair.

Doremi let out a loud snore, turning over.

"No..." she yawned in her sleep. "Stay... Don't go... Please don't go..."

Yuki made a "huh" noise.

"If you're talking about me, Doremi-chan. You don't have to worry. After that nightmare..." she shivered suddenly.

_Saiki-kun..._

"...I'm not going anywhere."

"No..." the pink witch moaned, torture evident on her face. "We're still friends aren't we? Please Akatsuki-kun... Don't leave me... What about..."

_Akatsuki._

Yuki's eyes wide and she stared at the wall, her vision dimming in the darkness. She frowned.

"All's fair in love and war..." she repeated, laying back down.

The black witch cuddled up close against Doremi, her eyes fluttering shut.

"No worries Doremi-chan, I'm here for you."

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The tanuki ran through the city streets, looking about curiously.

A low growl escaped his teeth, angry that he couldn't find the person he was so desperate to find.

_His master._

The tanuki barked, earning one confused human to stare at him. A deep rumbling came from his chest.

He would find his master.

If he had to kill one of these damn humans to do so...

He would.

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The girl sighed heavily, pressing her forearm to her forehead, her features unknown.

"Come on... Where are you?"

She clasped her hands together. She sighed, then.

A loud scream registered in her ears, and she twitched.

"Another homicide?! Oh for the love of God! Can't anyone be quiet?!"

Suddenly her eyes widened.

"Wait a minute..."

Making up her mind, the girl picked up her pace into the direction of the scream...

_Could it be?! Really?!_

...only to stop cold.

"No..." she whispered to himself. "Business comes first..."

_I have to find him._

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Next time:

Phase 2: Look Through The Broken Glass

When things start to take a toll for the worst, Nick begins to notice the changes in everyone and everything around him... But questions arise when he's visited by someone who knows him... Just, not the other way around.


	2. Look Through The Broken Glass

_Previously on Doerai: Dawn of the Darkness..._

The girl sighed heavily, pressing her forearm to her forehead, her features unknown.

"Come on... Where are you?"

She clasped her hands together. She sighed, then.

A loud scream registered in her ears, and she twitched.

"Another homicide?! Oh for the love of God! Can't anyone be quiet?!"

Suddenly her eyes widened.

"Wait a minute..."

Making up her mind, the girl picked up her pace into the direction of the scream...

_Could it be?! Really?!_

...only to stop cold.

"No..." she whispered to himself. "Business comes first..."

_I have to find him._

(Footage: As the opening begins, we can see a crystal-colored bird flying across the screen.)

_Habata itara modoranai to ittte_

_(You say if you could fly, you would never come back)_

(Footage: Nick and Akemi can be seen walking towards the beach, staring towards the sun.)

_Mezashita no wa aoi, aoi ano sora_

_(You aimed for that blue, blue sky)_

(Footage: Akemi smiles brightly, leading Nick to do the same. During the instrumental, we pan into the sky as the Doerai: Dawn of the Darkness logo appears on the screen.)

"_Kanashimi" wa mada oboerarezu "setsunasa" wa ima tsukami hajimeta_

_(You've yet to remember "sadness", just now began to grasp "pain")_

(Footage: Yuki and Doremi can be seen strolling down the city streets, just happy to be with each other.)

_Anata e to daku kono kanjou mo ima "kotoba" ni kawatte iku_

_(Even the feelings I held onto for you are just now turning into words)_

(Footage: Something knocks Doremi to the ground, and Yuki spins around, only to gasp in shock at what she sees.)

_Michi naru sekai no yume kara mezamete_

_(As you awaken from the dream of an unknown world)_

(Footage: A tanuki hops off of a nearby building, crossing great distances with very little effort, as if it's looking for someone...)

_Kono hane wo hiroge tobitatsu_

_(Spread your wings and take off)_

(Footage: The tanuki sees something and its face lights up. It charges forward, hopping into the arms of a girl. We can't see her features, as her upper half is obscured by the camera.)

_Habata itara modoranai to ittte_

_(You say if you could fly, you would never come back)_

(Footage: Nick and Akemi hop away from an energy attack, both holding each other's hands. They stare at each other for a second and nod.)

_Mezashita no wa aoi, aoi ano sora_

_(You aimed for that blue, blue sky)_

(Footage: A quick flash of the mysterious girl, then cut back to Nick and Akemi, both glowing with a powerful aura. After about a second, they thrust their hands forward and perform the Double Ojamajo Sparkle Screw, the silver beam of light blinding the screen.)

_Tsukinuketara mitsukaru to shitte_

_(If you break through, you know you'll find it)_

(Footage: Yuki pulls Doremi close to her to avoid a barrage of dark energy beams, nodding to the pink witch. The two join hands and begin chanting.)

_Furikiru hodo aoi, aoi ano sora_

_(So try until you break free to that blue, blue sky)_

(Footage: A quick flash of another mysterious girl, this one holding a microphone, then cut back to Yuki and Doremi, who thrust their hands into the sky to perform the Double Ojamajo Rewritten Masquerade, the massive collection of energy once again blinding the camera.)

_Aoi, aoi ano sora_

_(That blue, blue sky)_

(Footage: Quick flashes of the rest of the Ojamajos in spirit form.)

_Aoi, aoi ano sora_

_(That blue, blue sky)_

(Footage: A very familiar pair of blood-red eyes opens, the light covering the screen. When the light clears, we cut to Nick and Akemi at the beach, only this time, they're joined by Yuki and Doremi. Both couples are smiling brightly as the summer sun shines down on them.)

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(Even in the brightest light, there is always a little bit of darkness.)

**YukiShinoya444** and **S.P.D. Gold Ranger** present:

_Doerai: Dawn of the Darkness_

Story Created: November 9th, 2008

Summary: AU. In the end, there is only a new beginning. The story continues as Nick and his friends go through another set of experiences... And what of the others?

On Today's Episode: When things start to take a toll for the worst, Nick begins to notice the changes in everyone and everything around him... But questions arise when he's visited by someone who knows him... Just, not the other way around.

Authoress' Notes: This time, I will do the odds and Nick-kun will do the evens! Wai~

**Disclaimer: ...Shouldn't it be obvious by now we don't own anything? **(by **S.P.D. Gold Ranger**: **EXACTLY, Yuki-chan.**)

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Phase 2: Look Through The Broken Glass (written by **S.P.D. Gold Ranger**)

_The next morning..._

Darkness.

That was all Nick could see as he opened his eyes and tried to adjust to the daybreak.

When he was able to focus his vision, he could easily see the sleeping form of his girlfriend Akemi, curled up in a ball right next to him.

Nick couldn't resist giving Akemi a little kiss on the cheek before reflecting on some of the recent events... those that had a tie to destiny.

_It's been two months now. Two months since Momoko was slaughtered by an unknown assailant... who had fallen to an ancient and deadly curse._

Nick had never forgotten that day.

_Trust me, I wanted to die then, just so I could be with her. But my friends convinced me to stay alive so we could hunt down the ones responsible for this atrocity._

Nick looked down at Akemi, smiling brightly now.

_This is Akemi Suzuki, my girlfriend. Ever since Momoko passed away, Akemi was there to comfort me. I ended up spending so much time with Akemi... that I fell in love with her. To be honest, I'm not surprised I fell for Akemi so hard after Momoko._

Nick let his head rest on Akemi's shoulder, smoothing down her crystal-colored hair. "You're so beautiful, you know that?" Nick couldn't help but say.

_After a while of searching, we eventually found the perpetrator of this nefarious scheme: the ancient dark prophet known as Doerai. He had sent his little lackey, Melissa, to murder us one-by-one, trying to keep us out of the way of their plans to cover the world in darkness._

Nick clearly remembered the events that had taken place in Doerai's world.

_After a month of struggles and deadly battles, me, Yuki-chan, Doremi-chan, and Akemi, the only ones left, all went to confront Doerai. We nearly lost Yuki-chan in Doerai's world, but together, the rest of the Ojamajos gave us help from the spirit world, and we were able to defeat Doerai once and for all. It's been a month since the end of that adventure._

Nick looked out the window towards the rising sun.

_They say that every story has a beginning... and every story has an end. But, what I would soon discover... was that this story isn't over yet._

Nick decided just to continue his rest, and fell back to sleep alongside his slumbering girlfriend.

A couple hours later, Nick was the first to wake up, shifting the covers every so slightly so as not to disturb Akemi.

Deciding to see if anything was on television, Nick flicked the TV on, only to notice something on the morning news that caught his eye.

"This just in. Another murder has been committed. This is the seventh homicide report in the past week, and police are baffled. No one has found any connection between each of the attacks, but rest assured that Channel Eight news will keep you up-to-date on the events as they happen. This is Saiyuki Miyamoto, from Channel Eight news."

"Another homicide?" Nick wondered. "That makes twelve in the past two weeks... kinda makes me wonder if someone snapped in the interim since we defeated Doerai..."

Nick shook that thought out of his head. That was a memory he never wanted to relive.

"Something wrong, Nick?" Akemi asked, having just woken up. She was giving Nick that cute smile that you'd have to be a fool to resist.

"The news just reported another murder, Akemi. That's gotta be the twelfth homicide that occurred since we defeated Doerai," Nick explained, trying to run the stories through his mind in an attempt to make any possible connections.

"You don't have to worry, Nick. Those were apparently just normal murders. We don't have to worry about the curse anymore since Doerai's gone," Akemi stated.

"I know, but something just bugs me to no end about all this," Nick noted. "I have no idea what it is, but I've just got this bad feeling about all of it..."

By this point, Akemi had walked up to Nick and kissed him. Nick didn't dare fight it, and just kissed back with as much passion as he could.

Once they separated, Nick put on his famous smile. "Have I ever told you that that's a great stress reliever?"

Akemi couldn't help but giggle. "About four times yesterday."

Becoming serious by this point, Nick simply embraced his girlfriend.

"I love you, Akemi."

"I love you, too, Nick."

They were content to just hold their position for a few minutes.

"Hey, why don't we go see how Yuki-chan and Doremi-chan are doing?" Akemi asked. "I haven't seen those two in a while."

"I'm sure those lovebirds are doing just fine without us around," Nick teased. "Just let me get my coat and we'll head out."

Akemi nodded as Nick raced upstairs to get his coat. _To be honest, I've got a bad feeling about all these murders, too... _Akemi thought. _But if we have to fight again, we will. I made a promise._

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_We'll be back soon. We went on a date to the movies!_

_Sincerely,_

_Shinoya Yuki and Harukaze Doremi_

"Guess they're not here..." Nick teased as he took stock of the note that was tacked to the door of the Shinoya household.

Akemi giggled again. "You think?"

"Why don't we head to the movie theater and see if we can catch up with them?"

"Sure. I haven't seen a good movie in what feels like forever."

And so, hand in hand, Nick and Akemi raced off to the theater.

Just as they left, however, someone can be seen peeking out from behind the Shinoya household.

The only thing noticeable about this girl is her long hair, yellow with crystal streaks. Everything else is obscured by the shadows.

The mystery girl giggles. "I think I found him..."

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"WHOA!!!" Nick exclaimed upon seeing the mountain of people that were crowding the many hallways of the Sekai no Yume Cinema.

"I guess business started flourishing again since last month, huh?" Akemi noted.

"It's gonna be practically impossible to find those two in this mess," Nick groaned. "There's so many people..."

Just then, Akemi spotted something in the hustle of the crowd, and subsequently gasped. She'd recognize those kind of buns anywhere!

"HEY!!!" Akemi exclaimed, waving towards the two people she'd seen.

Nick could only smile. _Leave it to Akemi to notice them, even in a crowd like this..._

Yuki and Doremi spun around at this familiar voice.

"Hey, you two lovebirds!!" Yuki exclaimed.

"I could say the same for you two," Nick responded.

"What are you two here to see?" Akemi wondered.

"Oh, Yuki-chan wanted to come see that new Code Geass movie," Doremi stated. Nick instantly perked up at this.

"Really?! It's about freaking TIME they made a movie!!" Nick proclaimed. "C.C.'s really cute, isn't she?"

Akemi feigned being hurt, which Nick immediately took notice of.

"Hey, now. C.C. may be cute, but she's nowhere near as beautiful as you are, Akemi," Nick stated, to which Akemi blushed like mad, still smiling. She knew Nick was teasing her.

"Flatterer," Yuki stated matter-of-factly.

"No comment from you," Nick shot back. "Last I saw you, you were whispering sweet nothings into Doremi-chan's ear just to see how badly you could get her to blush!"

Doremi nearly fell over at this seemingly simple statement. "That was YOU, Yuki-chan?!"

"Guilty as charged," Yuki admitted, blushing a bit herself.

"Why don't we head inside?" Akemi asked. "I think they're opening the gates now!"

"NICK!!! I FOUND YOU!!!"

Before Nick could wonder just who had said that, something or someone crashed into him from behind, knocking both of them to the ground.

When Nick was able to pick himself up, he noticed who had just knocked him down: a girl about his age with long, golden hair that held traces of crystal highlights. She was wearing a long, flowing stage dress (pink with silver streaks), and her eyes were the most peculiar feature: one emerald-green and one crystal-blue.

"Now THAT'S a combination you don't see every day," Nick noted.

"What do you mean, Nick?" the new girl wondered. Just then, she tilted her head. _Of course... this boy is different from the Nick I know..._

The girl spun around, holding a microphone in her left hand. "My name's Utau! Can't say the last name, so I'll let you guess!"

"Wait, we have to GUESS what your last name is? What is this, CSI: Miami?!" Yuki exclaimed, to which Doremi just giggled.

It was then that Nick noticed something about this hyper girl. _Wait. How does she know me? I'm pretty sure I've never seen her before..._

Then, Utau turned to Akemi. "You must be Suzuki Akemi, and by what I saw earlier, you're Nick's wife, right?"

If Akemi could blush any harder, she'd probably look like a tomato by now. "W-WIFE? No, no, no. I'm just his girlfriend."

"And these two are Shinoya Yuki and Harukaze Doremi, probably the cutest shoujo-ai couple I've ever seen!!" Utau proclaimed, causing Yuki and Doremi to blush madly.

"Wait a minute. How do you know us?" Nick decided to ask. "I'm pretty sure we've never seen you before, Utau-chan."

Before Utau could answer that, a loud crash resounded from the front doors, causing the crowd to scatter in random directions.

When the crowd dispersed enough, Nick was the first to notice who was standing in the clear doorway: a man who was hunched over...

...and had sharp claws and glowing red eyes.

"WILD ANIMAL!!!" Utau screamed.

"Oh, no, not again," Nick groaned, shifting into fighting stance.

"This is getting ridiculous!!" Yuki exclaimed, ready to fight.

"We'll take care of this," Akemi stated, joining hands with Nick.

"_Spirits of the earth..."_ Nick chanted, his hand tightening around Akemi's.

"_Spirits of the stars...."_ Akemi continued, glowing with a silver aura.

"_Lend us your wills and give up the power to grant a miracle!! Our beautiful souls shall crush your dark heart!!"_ they both exclaimed, the force around them becoming tense.

"_Double Ojamajo Sparkle Screw!!"_

The massive beam of silver light knocked the cursed man for a loop, but he just stood up, ready for more.

"Okay, I'm getting REAL sick of this!!" Nick exclaimed, materializing Hanyou Hikari. "It's time I put an end to this!!"

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Next time:

Phase 3: Time Waits For No One

As the battle with the cursed man continues, Nick and the girls meet the owner of the mysterious tanuki, who seems to have been pursuing the cursed man. But when a sneak attack is pulled on the six, and they wake up in a world that's clearly not their own, they realize that this story isn't over yet...


	3. Time Waits For No One

_Previously on Doerai: Dawn of the Darkness..._

"Wait a minute. How do you know us?" Nick decided to ask. "I'm pretty sure we've never seen you before, Utau-chan."

Before Utau could answer that, a loud crash resounded from the front doors, causing the crowd to scatter in random directions.

When the crowd dispersed enough, Nick was the first to notice who was standing in the clear doorway: a man who was hunched over...

...and had sharp claws and glowing red eyes.

"WILD ANIMAL!!!" Utau screamed.

"Oh, no, not again," Nick groaned, shifting into fighting stance.

"This is getting ridiculous!!" Yuki exclaimed, ready to fight.

"We'll take care of this," Akemi stated, joining hands with Nick.

"_Spirits of the earth..."_ Nick chanted, his hand tightening around Akemi's.

"_Spirits of the stars...."_Akemi continued, glowing with a silver aura.

"_Lend us your wills and give up the power to grant a miracle!! Our beautiful souls shall crush your dark heart!!"_ they both exclaimed, the force around them becoming tense.

"_Double Ojamajo Sparkle Screw!!"_

The massive beam of silver light knocked the cursed man for a loop, but he just stood up, ready for more.

"Okay, I'm getting REAL sick of this!!" Nick exclaimed, materializing Hanyou Hikari. "It's time I put an end to this!!"

(Footage: As the opening begins, we can see a crystal-colored bird flying across the screen.)

_Habata itara modoranai to ittte_

_(You say if you could fly, you would never come back)_

(Footage: Nick and Akemi can be seen walking towards the beach, staring towards the sun.)

_Mezashita no wa aoi, aoi ano sora_

_(You aimed for that blue, blue sky)_

(Footage: Akemi smiles brightly, leading Nick to do the same. During the instrumental, we pan into the sky as the Doerai: Dawn of the Darkness logo appears on the screen.)

"_Kanashimi" wa mada oboerarezu "setsunasa" wa ima tsukami hajimeta_

_(You've yet to remember "sadness", just now began to grasp "pain")_

(Footage: Yuki and Doremi can be seen strolling down the city streets, just happy to be with each other.)

_Anata e to daku kono kanjou mo ima "kotoba" ni kawatte iku_

_(Even the feelings I held onto for you are just now turning into words)_

(Footage: Something knocks Doremi to the ground, and Yuki spins around, only to gasp in shock at what she sees.)

_Michi naru sekai no yume kara mezamete_

_(As you awaken from the dream of an unknown world)_

(Footage: A tanuki hops off of a nearby building, crossing great distances with very little effort, as if it's looking for someone...)

_Kono hane wo hiroge tobitatsu_

_(Spread your wings and take off)_

(Footage: The tanuki sees something and its face lights up. It charges forward, hopping into the arms of a girl. We can't see her features, as her upper half is obscured by the camera.)

_Habata itara modoranai to ittte_

_(You say if you could fly, you would never come back)_

(Footage: Nick and Akemi hop away from an energy attack, both holding each other's hands. They stare at each other for a second and nod.)

_Mezashita no wa aoi, aoi ano sora_

_(You aimed for that blue, blue sky)_

(Footage: A quick flash of the mysterious girl, then cut back to Nick and Akemi, both glowing with a powerful aura. After about a second, they thrust their hands forward and perform the Double Ojamajo Sparkle Screw, the silver beam of light blinding the screen.)

_Tsukinuketara mitsukaru to shitte_

_(If you break through, you know you'll find it)_

(Footage: Yuki pulls Doremi close to her to avoid a barrage of dark energy beams, nodding to the pink witch. The two join hands and begin chanting.)

_Furikiru hodo aoi, aoi ano sora_

_(So try until you break free to that blue, blue sky)_

(Footage: A quick flash of another mysterious girl, this one holding a microphone, then cut back to Yuki and Doremi, who thrust their hands into the sky to perform the Double Ojamajo Rewritten Masquerade, the massive collection of energy once again blinding the camera.)

_Aoi, aoi ano sora_

_(That blue, blue sky)_

(Footage: Quick flashes of the rest of the Ojamajos in spirit form.)

_Aoi, aoi ano sora_

_(That blue, blue sky)_

(Footage: A very familiar pair of blood-red eyes opens, the light covering the screen. When the light clears, we cut to Nick and Akemi at the beach, only this time, they're joined by Yuki and Doremi. Both couples are smiling brightly as the summer sun shines down on them.)

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(Even in the brightest light, there is always a little bit of darkness.)

**YukiShinoya444** and **S.P.D. Gold Ranger** present:

_Doerai: Dawn of the Darkness_

Story Created: November 9th, 2008

Summary: AU. In the end, there is only a new beginning. The story continues as Nick and his friends go through another set of experiences... And what of the others?

On Today's Episode: As the battle with the cursed man continues, Nick and the girls meet the owner of the mysterious tanuki, who seems to have been pursuing the cursed man. But when a sneak attack is pulled on the six, and they wake up in a world that's clearly not their own, they realize that this story isn't over yet...

Authoress' Notes: This time, I will do the odds and Nick-kun will do the evens! Wai~

**Disclaimer: ...Shouldn't it be obvious by now we don't own anything? **(by **S.P.D. Gold Ranger**: **EXACTLY, Yuki-chan.**)

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Phase 3: Time Waits For No One (written by **YukiShinoya444**)

A sound a bell's jingle rang through the streets, as a girl stopped, her features above the white skirt unknown.

The tanuki from earlier can be seen running towards the girl...

...only to hop straight into her arms.

"Naughty Torikki-kun." the girl giggled, scratching the back of the tanuki's ear, who licked her face in response.

"You should have known better..."

Torikki's ears folded back as he began growling in the distance. The girl looked over, her bright brown hair falling over her shoulder.

"So... What we're looking for is over there, eh?"

A smile curved along her lips.

"Perfect."

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"_The bow and string of a determined boy, take this!! Ojamajo Arrow of Light!!"_

The cursed man dodged, growling. Yuki's eyes sparkled, and she huffed.

"What's going on here, anyway? I thought Doerai was dead..."

"Backup?" Doremi suggested, shrugging. Yuki shook her head.

"I dunno... But still!" She held out her hand. Doremi nodded, placing her own in the black witch's.

_"Spirits of mother nature..."_

_"Spirits of father time..."_

The two pulled each other close, glowing with a bright aura.

_"Together, with enough will and determination to shape our future, we'll overcome the differences set through our past!!"_

The two of them drew their hands back, glowing with a bright light.

_"Double Ojamajo Supernova Serenade!!"_

The man took the attack, pushed back as he soon rushed out, Nick quickly following after.

"Oh no, ya don't!!" he exclaimed, clearly angry.

"Nick!!" Akemi and Utau yelled, earning the crystal witch's confusion. She stared at Utau, blinking.

_What...?_

Utau quickly blushed. "Uh, nothing!!"

Akemi shrugged and bolted after Nick. Yuki, on the other hand, began thinking.

_That sure is... strange..._

"Utau-chan, stay here." Doremi instructed, tightening her grip on the black witch's hand. "Yuki-chan... Let's go!"

Yuki nodded and the two rushed after the couple.

Utau stood there for a whole two minutes before throwing a fit.

"No way in hell am I getting left out!!" she exclaimed before running after them as well.

"NICK!!! AKEMI!!! WAIT FOR ME!!!"

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Nick bolted around the people as the chase continued.

_Aw man! Where did that guy go?!_

He swung around one couple, nearly running straight into the wall, but stopped when he heard a roar of pure agony, followed by something else...

The ringing of bells.

The green witch stopped dead in his tracks, huffing quietly as he looked down at the floor.

_What... was... that?_

He heard a light bark and looked up, only to meet the eyes of a tanuki. Nick blinked.

_His eyes... They're different colors... Red.... and... Green?_

The tanuki growled very lightly, and then scampered off in the opposite direction.

Nick's fists clenched and he followed after the creature, the growing feeling of unease.

Maybe... This is the tanuki from all those homicides... Where is he going?

Nick nearly tripped over the body of a man and recognized it from the cursed man from earlier, though he was normal, not to mention unconscious.

He heard rumbling, and looked up again. This time, the tanuki seemed to be laughing at the sight.

_"Pitiful humans..."_ he growled, his thoughts coming through Nick's mind. _"So easily daunted... fooled... manipulated... It's too easy to kill them... To trick them..."_

Nick took caution.

_"Don't get defensive all of a sudden, boy. You're the one who followed."_

"Who... What are you?" Nick huffed in response, his eyes never leaving the tanuki. "Did you cause all those homicides?"

_"The hell with humanity,"_the tanuki barked, closing the eye that was a shade of green, the shade of red glistening furiously. _"You're just like the rest of 'em."_

With that, the creature turned around, and looked over his shoulder.

_"No way in heck am I letting you near my master..."_

_Master...?_

Nick blinked and took a step closer. "So... is _he_ the one...?"

The tanuki appeared to sigh at this. _"Damn it, boy... You're really getting on my nerves... Let me see your hand."_

Nick obeyed, holding out his hand... Only for the tanuki to bite it with all the force he hand, causing the green witch to snatch it back, hissing in pain.

"What'd you do that for?!" he demanded, looking down at the crimson red blood running down from the teeth marks.

_"Those stupid myths... Does my kind really, _really_look like a kind who spend their time clubbing old ladies to death and serving them to their unsuspecting husbands as 'old lady soup'... I mean, what the hell? I HAVE my pride... And even the most evil tanuki wouldn't do something so pointless... So many ways to kill humans..."_

The tanuki shook its head. Nick shuddered at the memory of one of the fearful tales he'd heard as a child.

_"She puts you all to shame... That girl..." _he howled. _"If there were more people like her... Maybe..."_

Nick perked up. "Her?"

The tanuki blinked, and there was a sound of ringing bells again. The green witch perked up, confused.

_"Kid, that would be her... See ya."_

"Huh... Wait!" Nick called out, surprised as the tanuki ran off, bolting like a meteor through the crowd.

_What was that all about?_

"NICK!!!" Akemi exclaimed behind him, latching onto his arm. "Don't run so fast! I could barely keep up!!"

Her boyfriend smiled instinctively and shrugged. Yuki, Doremi, and Utau soon showed up.

"Weird... Where'd the wild animal go?" Utau asked, looking around. Nick blinked, shrugging again.

"The tanuki took care of it... I guess."

"The tanuki... Oh, no! You're bleeding!" the crystal witch yelped, taking in the sight of the bite. "What happened?"

"He bit me."

"That's what happens when you mess with wild animals." Yuki scolded, sighing. "But seriously, a _tanuki_?"

"He obviously wasn't wild... Seemed pretty tame to me..." Nick muttered, remembering how the tanuki could actually use telepathy to let him know _exactly_ what went on in its mind... Even though it was anything but pleasant. "Something about a master..."

"A talking tanuki?!" Doremi gasped, not appearing to believe it. "Kellysi-chan, did you hit your head or something?"

The boy glared at the red head in response. Utau giggled.

"Nick probably wasn't..."

Nick turned his glare on her.

"And _you _haven't answered my question, Utau-chan."

Utau flushed.

"O-Oh, you know..." she trailed off. "B-But, don't we need to chase after our talking tanuki first? Ahaha..."

Nick raised an eyebrow, and thought for a moment.

_She actually has a point... I'm really curious, too.. What was that tanuki talking about? A master? What's he... or she... like? Could that ringing of bells I heard earlier... What was that? I don't understand this at all..._

"Nick?"

"Akemi, we should go."

Akemi blinked and frowned, but nodded. "Whatever you say..."

Yuki began thinking as well.

_This is just weird... A tanuki? I remember the myths Saiki-kun..._

Her hand curled around her heart, which threatened shattering into a million pieces.

_...used to tell me. Of course he said they were all untrue... That the tanuki was actually a smart and noble kind... Huh..._

She shook her head, her hand tightening around Doremi's.

_No... Don't remember... Don't even think about him... _she repeated in her head, wincing. _Don't... Don't... Doremi-chan..._

"Yuki-chan, something wrong?" her best friend asked, concern lit up in her bright magenta eyes.

Yuki quickly shook her head.

"N-No... I'm fine... Don't worry Doremi-chan."

The pink witch shrugged and they all began walking.

Moments of silence passed.

"... So..." Utau started, twiddling with her fingers. "How was the talk with the tanuki? Did it tell you anything interesting?"

"He apparently hates humanity... But he didn't commit the homicides... Seems to love his master..." Nick shook his head, sighing. "But... he actually had a point."

Akemi made a "huh" noise and they continued.

Finally, Nick stopped.

"...How are we supposed to find the tanuki anyway?"

"How many tanuki do you know?" Yuki shot back. "We'll find him, no problem."

A light growl registered Nick's ears.

_"Damn... You actually had the nerve to follow..."_

"You...!!" Nick was cut off by musical laughter, a sound that made them all flinch.

"Torikki-kun... Torikki-kun... You brought me the five..." a figure dropped down, making the group nearly jump.

"...and a half. Nice work."

Utau looked insulted and growled under her breath.

"Who the hell are you?"

"Me?" the angelic voice responded, giggling. The dust cleared, and everyone got a good look at her.

She was around Yuki's age, take a month or two. The top of her brown hair held two buns, only a little smaller than Doremi's, held with two ribbons and sparkling bells, which seemed to jingle as she got up. Her hair also seemed to fall beneath her shoulders, having a fluffy texture. The attire she wore seemed pretty simple: A dark brown vest over an almost just as dark green shirt, complimented by a snow white skirt and a pair of tennis shoes. Her eyes were also a strange, but not as strange as Utau's, shade of color: a bright bubblegum pink.

The girl laughed again, holding up her hand.

"Say something! Are you so distracted by my beauty that you got no words left?

Yuki blinked.

"You got that from..."

"Yes, yes, I know." she sighed, shaking her head. "Torikki-kun told me about you... And I need to warn you, anyway."

Within moments, her eyecolor shifted from pink to a bright ruby red.

"I want you to back off. All the homicides... That's _my_ business, not yours."

Nick flinched. "It's OUR city!! What makes you think..."

The girl was shaking her head before he finished.

"Mind your own business... Mm.. kay?"

The tanuki walked out, the mystery girl picking him up. "Anyway... Torikki-kun and I... We have some business to take care of."

"At least tell us what your name is..." Utau suggested, sighing a bit.

The girl blinked.

Just then, she flinched and jumped.

"Abunai, kiddo!" she exclaimed to Nick. Nick took caution and looked around.

"W-Wha..."

And then, it went black.

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"Urgh..."

Doremi's eyes fluttered open as she got up, shivering.

"Hey... Guys...?"

Yuki got up as well, yawning. "Morning, Doremi-chan."

Akemi shook Nick and Utau. "Nick... Utau-chan... Urrr... Get up!"

"See what I mean?"

"Huh?" Yuki and Doremi looked up to see the girl again, her arms folded.

"Now look here, princess... We're not in Misora anymore. So... I'm gonna find a way back... And I warned you."

She turned heel and proceeded to walk out on them.

"H-Hey!!" Nick exclaimed, getting up. "Who do you think you are?!"

Torikki growled, but she lifted her hand.

"No business of yours."

And just like that, she was gone.

Akemi helped Nick up, and Utau groaned.

"Wow! She's more stubborn than ever... That..." she suddenly stopped, blushing like crazy. "I-I mean... she appears stubborn..."

Yuki and Doremi looked at each other.

"Still..." Yuki started. "She walked out on us. Who was she?"

Doremi shrugged.

Nick just shook his head.

"No... What we need to think about first..."

Akemi sighed, and her boyfriend's eyes gleamed.

"...is a way to get the heck out of here."

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Next time:

Phase 4: As The Stars Vanish One By One

As Nick and friends try to find a way out of the strange world they're in, they find more troubles, and more difficulties... And every so often, their thoughts would drift to the mysterious tanuki girl...


	4. As the Stars Vanish One by One

_Previously on Doerai: Dawn of the Darkness..._

"Urgh..."

Doremi's eyes fluttered open as she got up, shivering.

"Hey... Guys...?"

Yuki got up as well, yawning. "Morning, Doremi-chan."

Akemi shook Nick and Utau. "Nick... Utau-chan... Urrr... Get up!"

"See what I mean?"

"Huh?" Yuki and Doremi looked up to see the girl again, her arms folded.

"Now look here, princess... We're not in Misora anymore. So... I'm gonna find a way back... And I warned you."

She turned heel and proceeded to walk out on them.

"H-Hey!!" Nick exclaimed, getting up. "Who do you think you are?!"

Torikki growled, but she lifted her hand.

"No business of yours."

And just like that, she was gone.

Akemi helped Nick up, and Utau groaned.

"Wow! She's more stubborn than ever... That..." she suddenly stopped, blushing like crazy. "I-I mean... she appears stubborn..."

Yuki and Doremi looked at each other.

"Still..." Yuki started. "She walked out on us. Who was she?"

Doremi shrugged.

Nick just shook his head.

"No... What we need to think about first..."

Akemi sighed, and her boyfriend's eyes gleamed.

"...is a way to get the heck out of here."

(Footage: As the opening begins, we can see a crystal-colored bird flying across the screen.)

_Habata itara modoranai to ittte_

_(You say if you could fly, you would never come back)_

(Footage: Nick and Akemi can be seen walking towards the beach, staring towards the sun.)

_Mezashita no wa aoi, aoi ano sora_

_(You aimed for that blue, blue sky)_

(Footage: Akemi smiles brightly, leading Nick to do the same. During the instrumental, we pan into the sky as the Doerai: Dawn of the Darkness logo appears on the screen.)

"_Kanashimi" wa mada oboerarezu "setsunasa" wa ima tsukami hajimeta_

_(You've yet to remember "sadness", just now began to grasp "pain")_

(Footage: Yuki and Doremi can be seen strolling down the city streets, just happy to be with each other.)

_Anata e to daku kono kanjou mo ima "kotoba" ni kawatte iku_

_(Even the feelings I held onto for you are just now turning into words)_

(Footage: Something knocks Doremi to the ground, and Yuki spins around, only to gasp in shock at what she sees.)

_Michi naru sekai no yume kara mezamete_

_(As you awaken from the dream of an unknown world)_

(Footage: A tanuki hops off of a nearby building, crossing great distances with very little effort, as if it's looking for someone...)

_Kono hane wo hiroge tobitatsu_

_(Spread your wings and take off)_

(Footage: The tanuki sees something and its face lights up. It charges forward, hopping into the arms of a girl. We can't see her features, as her upper half is obscured by the camera.)

_Habata itara modoranai to ittte_

_(You say if you could fly, you would never come back)_

(Footage: Nick and Akemi hop away from an energy attack, both holding each other's hands. They stare at each other for a second and nod.)

_Mezashita no wa aoi, aoi ano sora_

_(You aimed for that blue, blue sky)_

(Footage: A quick flash of the mysterious girl, then cut back to Nick and Akemi, both glowing with a powerful aura. After about a second, they thrust their hands forward and perform the Double Ojamajo Sparkle Screw, the silver beam of light blinding the screen.)

_Tsukinuketara mitsukaru to shitte_

_(If you break through, you know you'll find it)_

(Footage: Yuki pulls Doremi close to her to avoid a barrage of dark energy beams, nodding to the pink witch. The two join hands and begin chanting.)

_Furikiru hodo aoi, aoi ano sora_

_(So try until you break free to that blue, blue sky)_

(Footage: A quick flash of another mysterious girl, this one holding a microphone, then cut back to Yuki and Doremi, who thrust their hands into the sky to perform the Double Ojamajo Rewritten Masquerade, the massive collection of energy once again blinding the camera.)

_Aoi, aoi ano sora_

_(That blue, blue sky)_

(Footage: Quick flashes of the rest of the Ojamajos in spirit form.)

_Aoi, aoi ano sora_

_(That blue, blue sky)_

(Footage: A very familiar pair of blood-red eyes opens, the light covering the screen. When the light clears, we cut to Nick and Akemi at the beach, only this time, they're joined by Yuki and Doremi. Both couples are smiling brightly as the summer sun shines down on them.)

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(Even in the brightest light, there is always a little bit of darkness.)

YukiShinoya444 and S.P.D. Gold Ranger present:

_Doerai: Dawn of the Darkness_

Story Created: November 9th, 2008

Summary: AU. In the end, there is only a new beginning. The story continues as Nick and his friends go through another set of experiences... And what of the others?

On Today's Episode: As Nick and friends try to find a way out of the strange world they're in, they find more troubles, and more difficulties... And every so often, their thoughts would drift to the mysterious tanuki girl...

Authoress' Notes: This time, I will do the odds and Nick-kun will do the evens! Wai~

**Disclaimer: ...Shouldn't it be obvious by now we don't own anything?** (by **S.P.D. Gold Ranger: EXACTLY, Yuki-chan.**)

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Phase 4: As the Stars Vanish One by One (written by **S.P.D. Gold Ranger**)

As Nick and the girls continued to explore the mysterious locale they'd somehow found themselves in, things would only get more and more confusing.

"Why does it look like the apocalypse and Armageddon hit at the same time?" Yuki wondered, glancing to a collapsed building.

"For the hundredth time, Yuki-chan, I honestly have no idea," Nick answered. "But what REALLY bugs me is the dark energy I'm feeling in the air... it's very familiar, but that can't be possible..."

"What do you mean, Nick?" Akemi wondered, still latched onto Nick's arm.

"I'm more curious about that tanuki girl..." Doremi noted. "Just who the heck was she, anyway?"

"I want to know why that tanuki of hers hates humanity so much..." Nick stated. "It doesn't seem natural. The tales Saiki-kun always told said that tanukis were a kind and noble race..."

Nick didn't notice that Yuki flinched a bit at the mention of Saiki's name. The nightmare she'd had was apparently still having its effect on her...

"There's something about this whole scenario that just doesn't freaking add up," Nick continued. "And something's telling me that this story isn't over yet..."

"We'd best stay close," Akemi stated. "No telling what could happen here..."

"Akemi-chan, we've already been through hell and back... almost literally... in the past two months!" Yuki exclaimed. "Exactly HOW could it get any worse?"

As if to answer Yuki's inquiry, a massive stone hand came crashing down into the landscape just in front of them, which would have crushed the five teenagers had they not jumped away per Nick's orders.

"PLEASE don't say things like that again, Yuki-chan," Doremi stated, clinging to Yuki's arm.

After a few seconds, the owner of the massive stone hand came into view: a massive lava monster about four times the size of the tallest skyscraper they'd seen so far. The monster's right hand was the stone hand they'd seen earlier, but the rest of the creature was made of pure lava and rock.

"Could someone please tell me what that thing is?!" Yuki exclaimed, while Nick shifted into battle stance, ready to fight as always.

Utau, however, looked a little scared.

"No... not the Golem again..."

This left the others confused. "How do you know about that thing, Utau-chan?" Yuki asked.

"LOOK OUT!!!" Utau exclaimed as the Golem raised its left hand for another attack.

Nick simply stood his ground, ready for the Golem's attack.

Just before the giant hand could slam down on the green witch apprentice, Nick materialized Hanyou Hikari and thrust it straight upwards, piercing right through the Golem's hand and causing it to back off as it howled in agony.

"You'll get a LOT worse than just a hole in your hand if you don't back off," Nick stated, pointing Hanyou Hikari forward to emphasize his threat.

The Golem didn't seem to care, raising its wounded arm for one more attack.

"All right, then, buddy, you had your chance!!" Nick exclaimed, hopping into the air to dodge the Golem's attack. Letting gravity power him, Nick dove back to the ground, bringing Hanyou Hikari down and slicing the Golem's hand off in one fell stroke.

This wound was enough to get the Golem to retreat, its pain-filled howls fading with distance.

Nick let Hanyou Hikari rest on his shoulder in a triumphant way. "Yeah, that's what I thought."

Utau, meanwhile, was so stunned she could barely even speak.

"Oh, my god... I've never been able to make so much as a DENT in that freak, but you actually cut his hand off?!" Utau exclaimed. "Only my otou-san's EVER been able to do that kind of damage to the Golem!!"

"Your father must be really strong, then, huh?" Yuki noted.

At this particular comment, Nick took one more look at Utau...

...and all the pieces fell into place.

Nick smiled a little brightly. "You're my daughter, aren't you, Utau-chan?"

This drew a chorus of gasps from everyone else.

"Good guess, dad!!" Utau exclaimed, holding her microphone to her lips. "The name's Utau Suzuki, thirteen years old. My hobbies are singing, ballet, and kicking butt on the battlefield!!"

Akemi looked over at Nick, blushing quite profusely. _So THAT'S why she thought I was Nick's wife earlier..._

Suddenly, a rustle in the nearby bushes caught the group's attention.

"Hey!!" Nick exclaimed, brandishing his weapon. "Come on out and show yourself!!"

The person in the bushes stepped out, as per Nick's command. He looked to be about Nick's father's age, having short, spiky blonde hair and silver eyes. All of his other features were disguised by the cloak he was wearing. Nick could also see a falcon resting on the man's shoulder.

"Relax, young ones. I am on your side," the man stated. "My name is Hunter. I am the leader of the resistance movement that fights to repel the dark forces from this world. I am so glad to see that all of you are alive."

This only served to confuse Nick even more. "What?"

Hunter lifted his falcon onto his wrist. "Go. Tell the mistress that I have found them."

With that, the falcon rose up and flew off into the night.

"Okay, Hunter, I'm going to ask some real simple questions and I want some real simple answers," Nick demanded. "What in the hell is going on?!"

"A dark force has covered this land for three years," Hunter explained. "The city of Misora was its first target after you four disappeared that fateful day three years ago. Ever since, that evil has ruled the land unchallenged."

"But who could it be?" Yuki wondered.

However, before Hunter could answer that, a rumble shook the area.

Nick looked up, gasped, then ran forward and shoved Akemi to the ground...

...just in time to avoid what would have been a fatal blow from a giant stone hand.

Nick looked back into the sky; there was the Golem again, only this time, both of its hands were crafted out of stone (since Nick had cut off its other natural hand earlier).

"Well, well, well. Look who came back for soda and chips," Nick teased, bringing Hanyou Hikari into a fighting stance. "You want some more?"

The Golem roared in response to this, bringing both of its hands together and sending a powerful shockwave for the group.

Nick swung Hanyou Hikari vertically as the shockwave neared, easily cutting it in two. Nick responded to this by drawing his hand back and unleashing an Ojamajo Arrow of Light that struck the side of the Golem's head, causing the massive lava creature to stumble.

"_The frost-covered determination of a shy girl, take this!! Ojamajo Crystal Cannon!!"_

Akemi's special attack struck the Golem in the eye, causing it to freeze into a block of ice.

"Over to you, Doremi-chan!!" Akemi exclaimed as the pink witch drew her Star Bow.

Taking careful aim, Doremi set her sights on the Golem's frozen eye.

"I wanted to save this for a special occasion, but I guess this'll work!! _Starstorm Arrow!!_" Doremi exclaimed, firing her special arrow. The arrow shined like a supernova as it thundered forward and struck the Golem's frozen eye, shattering both the ice and the Golem's eye socket.

Once more, the Golem roared in agony at its wound.

"_The bow and string of a determined boy, take this!! Ojamajo Arrow of Light!!"_

Nick aimed his special attack right for the Golem's bleeding eye, causing even further damage.

"Ooh, that's GOT to hurt," Doremi noted, causing Yuki to giggle.

"_When the world sparkles and the sun retreats to the horizons... Sekai no Hikari, bring forth your light!!"_

Once Nick's weapon had transformed, he aimed straight for the Golem's head.

"_RAINBOW WAVE!!!"_Nick exclaimed, slamming Hanyou Hikari to the ground. This impact created a typhoon of rainbow energy that knocked the Golem to the ground, forcing it to retreat once more.

"They're making this too easy," Nick commented.

"Why don't I take you to Warfang?" Hunter offered. "I'll explain everything there."

"Sounds good to me," Nick responded. "Let's head out."

As the traveling teenagers made their way towards the city in the distance, Nick noticed something about a tower in the distance.

"Wait. Now I know why this dark aura feels so familiar..." Nick noted.

"What do you mean, Nick-kun?" Yuki wondered.

"It's Doerai," Nick stated. "He's returned, hasn't he?"

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Next time:

Phase 5: Countdown to the End of the Day

Hunter leads Nick and the girls to the city of Warfang, where they learn about the circumstances behind Doerai's return. But when Warfang comes under siege by the Golem, and Nick is wounded by the Golem, the others learn that you should never piss off Akemi Suzuki...


	5. Countdown to the End of the Day

_Previously on Doerai: Dawn of the Darkness..._

"_The bow and string of a determined boy, take this!! Ojamajo Arrow of Light!!"_

Nick aimed his special attack right for the Golem's bleeding eye, causing even further damage.

"Ooh, that's GOT to hurt," Doremi noted, causing Yuki to giggle.

"_When the world sparkles and the sun retreats to the horizons... Sekai no Hikari, bring forth your light!!"_

Once Nick's weapon had transformed, he aimed straight for the Golem's head.

"_RAINBOW WAVE!!!"_Nick exclaimed, slamming Hanyou Hikari to the ground. This impact created a typhoon of rainbow energy that knocked the Golem to the ground, forcing it to retreat once more.

"They're making this too easy," Nick commented.

"Why don't I take you to Warfang?" Hunter offered. "I'll explain everything there."

"Sounds good to me," Nick responded. "Let's head out."

As the traveling teenagers made their way towards the city in the distance, Nick noticed something about a tower in the distance.

"Wait. Now I know why this dark aura feels so familiar..." Nick noted.

"What do you mean, Nick-kun?" Yuki wondered.

"It's Doerai," Nick stated. "He's returned, hasn't he?"

(Footage: As the opening begins, we can see a crystal-colored bird flying across the screen.)

_Habata itara modoranai to ittte_

_(You say if you could fly, you would never come back)_

(Footage: Nick and Akemi can be seen walking towards the beach, staring towards the sun.)

_Mezashita no wa aoi, aoi ano sora_

_(You aimed for that blue, blue sky)_

(Footage: Akemi smiles brightly, leading Nick to do the same. During the instrumental, we pan into the sky as the Doerai: Dawn of the Darkness logo appears on the screen.)

"_Kanashimi" wa mada oboerarezu "setsunasa" wa ima tsukami hajimeta_

_(You've yet to remember "sadness", just now began to grasp "pain")_

(Footage: Yuki and Doremi can be seen strolling down the city streets, just happy to be with each other.)

_Anata e to daku kono kanjou mo ima "kotoba" ni kawatte iku_

_(Even the feelings I held onto for you are just now turning into words)_

(Footage: Something knocks Doremi to the ground, and Yuki spins around, only to gasp in shock at what she sees.)

_Michi naru sekai no yume kara mezamete_

_(As you awaken from the dream of an unknown world)_

(Footage: A tanuki hops off of a nearby building, crossing great distances with very little effort, as if it's looking for someone...)

_Kono hane wo hiroge tobitatsu_

_(Spread your wings and take off)_

(Footage: The tanuki sees something and its face lights up. It charges forward, hopping into the arms of a girl. We can't see her features, as her upper half is obscured by the camera.)

_Habata itara modoranai to ittte_

_(You say if you could fly, you would never come back)_

(Footage: Nick and Akemi hop away from an energy attack, both holding each other's hands. They stare at each other for a second and nod.)

_Mezashita no wa aoi, aoi ano sora_

_(You aimed for that blue, blue sky)_

(Footage: A quick flash of the mysterious girl, then cut back to Nick and Akemi, both glowing with a powerful aura. After about a second, they thrust their hands forward and perform the Double Ojamajo Sparkle Screw, the silver beam of light blinding the screen.)

_Tsukinuketara mitsukaru to shitte_

_(If you break through, you know you'll find it)_

(Footage: Yuki pulls Doremi close to her to avoid a barrage of dark energy beams, nodding to the pink witch. The two join hands and begin chanting.)

_Furikiru hodo aoi, aoi ano sora_

_(So try until you break free to that blue, blue sky)_

(Footage: A quick flash of another mysterious girl, this one holding a microphone, then cut back to Yuki and Doremi, who thrust their hands into the sky to perform the Double Ojamajo Rewritten Masquerade, the massive collection of energy once again blinding the camera.)

_Aoi, aoi ano sora_

_(That blue, blue sky)_

(Footage: Quick flashes of the rest of the Ojamajos in spirit form.)

_Aoi, aoi ano sora_

_(That blue, blue sky)_

(Footage: A very familiar pair of blood-red eyes opens, the light covering the screen. When the light clears, we cut to Nick and Akemi at the beach, only this time, they're joined by Yuki and Doremi. Both couples are smiling brightly as the summer sun shines down on them.)

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(Even in the brightest light, there is always a little bit of darkness.)

**YukiShinoya444** and **S.P.D. Gold Ranger **present:

_Doerai: Dawn of the Darkness_

Story Created: November 9th, 2008

Summary: AU. In the end, there is only a new beginning. The story continues as Nick and his friends go through another set of experiences... And what of the others?

On Today's Episode: Hunter leads Nick and the girls to the city of Warfang, where they learn about the circumstances behind Doerai's return. But when Warfang comes under siege by the Golem, and Nick is wounded by the Golem, the others learn that you should never piss off Akemi Suzuki...

Authoress' Notes: This time, I will do the odds and Nick-kun will do the evens! Wai~

**Disclaimer: ...Shouldn't it be obvious by now we don't own anything?** (by **S.P.D. Gold Ranger: EXACTLY, Yuki-chan.**)

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Phase 5: Countdown to the End of the Day (written by **YukiShinoya444**)

_"You seem concerned, mistress..."_

The girl sighed, shrugging.

"I'm just worried about those kids is all... Especially the princess..."

Her tanuki blinked, both of the differently colored eyes gleaming.

_"Don't trust them. Especially not the boy... You've gone through too much and we've gone far enough..."_The tanuki appeared to just sigh himself. _"You're top priority, remember that..."_

The girl perked up.

_"If I have to kill again for your sake... I will."_

Her crimson red eyes glimmered, going dull with ancient sadness.

"Please no, Torriki-kun..." she whispered quietly. "I don't want that..."

Torikki looked ahead, his fur in the breeze.

_"Your wish is my command... Only your sake..."_Her tanuki bowed his head. _"No matter what it is... I will give it to you..."_

The girl blinked and smiled, bending down to stroke her trusting companion.

"Thank you, Torriki-kun."

Torikki acutally seemed nervous for a few moments, and a deep rumbling came from his chest, like he was laughing.

_"Anything you want, mistress."_

The girl nodded and looked ahead.

"Hey, hey... Shouldn't we check on those kids?"

Her tanuki just shrugged.

_"Whatever you want."_

"_Ahhhh_..." she sighed. "If that's the case..."

The two of them soon broke into a sprint.

"Come on, Torikki-kun!" she exclaimed, her eyecolor shifting to a bright pink with excitement. "Let's go find them!!"

Torikki simply nodded.

_"Anything you want..."_ his words repeated. _"Absolutely anything."_

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Everyone in the area seemed silent for a few moments.

Yuki's fists clenched.

"It can't be possible..." she whispered to herself, over and over again. "I saw it myself... I knew it... I was so sure... He can't be... No... No..."

_Saiki-kun..._

Immediately her heart throbbed, ripping in half as she fell to her knees, gasping for breath.

_NO!_

"Yuki-chan!!" Doremi exclaimed, instantly wrapping her arms around the shivering black witch. "Yuki-chan... Yuki-chan... Shhh... Shhh... It's alright... It's alright..."

"It's _not_alright..." Hunter corrected with a growl. "You're right, kiddo. Doerai's back... And he's bearing a grudge against you kids..."

Nick growled himself. "I never would have thought..."

"Nick..." Akemi sighed, resting her hands on his shoulders, effectively calming him down a bit.

"Akemi..." he whispered back before shaking his head.

"Yuki-chan...?" Doremi wondered, stroking the hair behind her ear. "Please Yuki-chan... Talk to me..."

Yuki shuddered, gulping.

_Saiki-kun... Saiki-kun... Saiki-kun..._

_I love you._

"Yuki-chan, please calm down!!" Utau begged, worried for the black-haired girl's sake as well. "I know your upset about Saiki-kun..."

At his name, her heart ripped again, and Yuki cowered, burying her face in the dirt as she began sobbing.

"Please... Please..." she cried, pain cracking her voice. "_Don't_ say his name... Please!!"

Utau covered her mouth, and the other Ojamajos just looked shocked.

"Yuki-chan...?" Nick asked, touching her shoulder. "Please... calm down..."

Yuki hiccuped and stared at him with tear-filled eyes. Doremi layed her cheek against her shoulder.

"Yuki-chan..."

The black witch blinked, realization coming to her eyes.

"S-Sorry..." she muttered, getting up. "I'm sorry for worrying you like that... It's just..."

Her heart quivered, and her voice shook.

_No... No... Don't think about him... Don't let him hurt you..._

"...It's nothing."

_Don't think._

She just sighed.

"Anyway... We do need to keep going, right?"

Hunter nodded.

"Come... Warfang's waiting."

Yuki feebly nodded in return. Doremi took her hand, squeezing it.

"Are you ready, Yuki-chan?"

Akemi cast a glance in her direction, her sapphire eyes glittering. Yuki smiled weakly.

"Yes... D-Don't... Don't worry about me..."

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The girl hopped as her smile brightened at the sight of the city in the distance.

"Look, Torriki-kun!! There's the city!!"

_"Mistress, you know I value your safety..."_Torriki growled, baring his teeth.

_"I don't think this is a good idea."_

"Relax!! We're just gonna check... Make sure they're not dead yet, and then get the heck out of here!"

_"It's not like you to worry about some random kids... Is the princess worth that much to you?"_

The girl just shrugged.

"What's wrong with that? She was much cuter than I thought... And imagine my luck! She likes girls!"

_"Mistress..."_

"Torikki-kun, I was kidding... Besides, she already has that odango girl... And I've heard of HER admirers! How I compete with _that_? Ohhh..." The girl laughed to herself.

"I can't... Just like with that crystal-haired girl... Man... She was even more beautiful than the princess! And then there's her boyfriend..."

Torikki growled harshly.

_"Mistress, please... Stay AWAY from him."_

"Why do you hate him, Torikki-kun?" the mistress wondered, sighing. "It's not like you to hate so quickly..."

Her tanuki gruffly shrugged.

_"There's just something about him... I don't like it at all..."_

"You're acting like a jealous boyfriend, Torikki-kun..." the girl noted, perked up, her currently pink eyes glittering. "Is that it? _Really_?"

The creature flinched and continued hopping. His master just smiled.

"Don't worry, I'm not the type of girl who falls in love easily."

_"I just worry for your sake, mistress... I couldn't imagine you getting hurt again..."_

"I'm not that delicate!!" she exclaimed, laughing as they continued. "It's just..."

She looked to the horizon up ahead.

"Hmm..."

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"So this is the city...?"

Yuki looked about, blinking as she just took in the sight of the city around them. "It looks so..."

"Desolate? Dire?" Hunter laughed. "We get that a lot..."

"So how long has he been back?" Nick asked, his eyes flickering. Hunter shrugged.

"We don't even know how he came back in the first place..."

"Figures." Utau sighed, shaking her head.

Akemi glanced at her future daughter and frowned.

"I... I have a bad feeling about this..."

Yuki and Doremi looked at each other.

"You never know, Akemi-chan." Yuki sighed, shaking her head.

Akemi blinked, looking down.

_I can't... let... anything happen to Nick..._

She blushed lightly as she looked at her boyfriend.

_Nick... I won't lose you like I did Moriko-chan..._

Suddenly, a deep rumbling filled the area.

"W-What was that?!" Doremi gasped, automatically clinging to Yuki. Utau clinged to Yuki, too.

"Uh... I have a bad feeling about this... REALLY!!" the black witch exclaimed, doing her best to comfort the two girls. "I... NICK-KUN WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON?!"

"How should I know?!" Nick shot back before sighing. "I have a feeling our little golem friend is back..."

Akemi's eyes went wide.

"Oh... dear..."

The Golem's roar was heard overhead and Nick rushed to the start of the city, the others quickly following him.

"NICK!!" Akemi exclaimed, only the stop cold at the sight of the Golem.

No...

Nick took a defensive stance. "Akemi, get behind me!"

Akemi obeyed, pressing herself against his back. "Will that thing ever give up?!"

"Awawawa..." Utau muttered, flailing her arm that wasn't clutching against Yuki's witch uniform about.

"This ain't the time for THAT, Utau-chan!" Yuki snapped, shaking her shoulder. "Doremi-chan, we need to take care of that thing once and for all!"

Doremi nodded.

"Yes!!"

"LOOK OUT!!" Nick exclaimed, pushing the three girls out of the way.

"WHOAH!! Thanks Nick-kun!" Yuki jumped up, taking both Doremi's and Utau's hands. "Come on, you two!"

Akemi just smiled but her smile vanished as she saw Golem's hand rise up, reaching for her.

"AKEMI!!" Nick called out. "Get out of the way!!"

Akemi's eyes went blank and she nodded, gracefully hopping out of the way. Nick let out a sigh of relief...

...only for the other hand to grab him, making him struggle in its grasp.

His girlfriend's eyes went wide and she gritted her teeth, all shades of her usual shyness disappearing.

"Let him GO, you over-sized rock!!" she growled, making Yuki perk up.

Should I... let Akemi-chan handle this...? Or will Moriko-chan's ghost haunt me? This has got to be the first time I've seen her this upset... How... weired...

The creature roared, and Nick's struggling stopped as he collasped, completely out of it.

"NICK!!" the girls all exclaimed, shocked.

A crystal aura soon began pulsing around Akemi.

NOW he asked for it!!

"_The frost-covered determination of a shy girl, take this!! Ojamajo Crystal Cannon!!"_

The Golem roared as he blocked the attack, Akemi quickly taking a pose. She darted her gaze to Yuki, seeing for the first time the black witch's dense, powerful twilight aura.

"Yuki-chan, I'm gonna need some help over here!!" she called out, extending her hand. Yuki nodded, eyes wide.

"A-Alright!"

Yuki scrambled over as her hand was placed in Akemi's, both of them pulsing with a bright white aura. The two girls nodded.

"Arashi!! _Tempest_!!" Akemi exclaimed, clapping her hands so crystal energy formed in between.

"Arashi!! _Storm_!!" Yuki exclaimed, forming her usual twilight energy between her hands as well.

The two girls joined hands, both glowing with an impossibly bright sky blue aura, with flickers of sapphire.

_"When the seasons become calm, when bankan becomes renbo... That's when we stand up to kyogen!!"_

The two of then twirled, pulling each other close as if in dance.

_"Double Ojamajo Candid Soprano!!"_

The Golem roared and the two girls nodded, letting out their pulsing aura in a full out blast, earning another roar of pure agony.

Akemi let out her breath as the creature continued to rise.

"Oh no ya don't!!" she exclaimed, glowing once again. "STAND DOWN!!"

She perked up when she heard a familiar voice.

"You heard the girl!! _Phoenix Flare!!_"

A fiery red energy covered the Golem, crumbling him in a matter of minutes.

The girl stepped up in its place, waving.

"Hey!! What's up?"

"The... tanuki girl..." Akemi whispered before gulping, rushing to Nick.

"N-Nick!! Are you...?"

The girl smiled, her eyes shifting back to a crimson red. She walked up to the green witch's unconscious self, she drew a hand to one of her bells and ringed it.

Akemi's eyes turned blank.

"So... lovely..."

Yuki perked up when she saw Nick's wounds disappear, his breathing back to gentle.

_What...?_

"How did you...?"

"That's a favor." The girl said with a wink.

_"It's the mistress' powers..."_her tanuki gruffed, cocking one ear.

The young mistress nodded and turned to Hunter.

"Thanks for bringing me the kids... Oh, and another thing."

Hunter nodded and Utau blinked as the tanuki girl held up a finger.

"I'm not going to tell you guys my name anytime soon. I want you to guess!"

She began walking to the city, Torikki behind her.

_"Come on," _Torikki growled over his shoulder. The Ojamajos all blinked in confusion.

The tanuki simply huffed.

_"Bring the kid."_

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Next time:

Phase 6: A Neverending Bell Of Miracles

When Nick regains consiousness, he's filled with questions. None of which are answered. Still, what he's really concerned with is the young mistress with a name she wants them to guess... What could it be?


	6. A Neverending Bell of Miracles

_Previously on Doerai: Dawn of the Darkness..._

The girl smiled, her eyes shifting back to a crimson red. She walked up to the green witch apprentice's unconscious self, she drew a hand to one of her bells and ringed it.

Akemi's eyes turned blank.

"So... lovely..."

Yuki perked up when she saw Nick's wounds disappear, his breathing back to gentle.

What...?

"How did you...?"

"That's a favor." The girl said with a wink.

"_It's the mistress' powers..."_ her tanuki gruffed, cocking one ear.

The young mistress nodded and turned to Hunter.

"Thanks for bringing me the kids... Oh, and another thing."

Hunter nodded and Utau blinked as the tanuki girl held up a finger.

"I'm not going to tell you guys my name anytime soon. I want you to guess!"

She began walking to the city, Torikki behind her.

"_Come on,"_ Torikki growled over his shoulder. The Ojamajos all blinked in confusion.

The tanuki simply huffed.

"_Bring the kid."_

(Footage: As the opening begins, we can see a crystal-colored bird flying across the screen.)

_Habata itara modoranai to ittte_

_(You say if you could fly, you would never come back)_

(Footage: Nick and Akemi can be seen walking towards the beach, staring towards the sun.)

_Mezashita no wa aoi, aoi ano sora_

_(You aimed for that blue, blue sky)_

(Footage: Akemi smiles brightly, leading Nick to do the same. During the instrumental, we pan into the sky as the _Doerai: Dawn of the Darkness_ logo appears on the screen.)

"_Kanashimi" wa mada oboerarezu "setsunasa" wa ima tsukami hajimeta_

_(You've yet to remember "sadness", just now began to grasp "pain")_

(Footage: Yuki and Doremi can be seen strolling down the city streets, just happy to be with each other.)

_Anata e to daku kono kanjou mo ima "kotoba" ni kawatte iku_

_(Even the feelings I held onto for you are just now turning into words)_

(Footage: Something knocks Doremi to the ground, and Yuki spins around, only to gasp in shock at what she sees.)

_Michi naru sekai no yume kara mezamete_

_(As you awaken from the dream of an unknown world)_

(Footage: A tanuki hops off of a nearby building, crossing great distances with very little effort, as if it's looking for someone...)

_Kono hane wo hiroge tobitatsu_

_(Spread your wings and take off)_

(Footage: The tanuki sees something and its face lights up. It charges forward, hopping into the arms of a girl. We can't see her features, as her upper half is obscured by the camera.)

_Habata itara modoranai to ittte_

_(You say if you could fly, you would never come back)_

(Footage: Nick and Akemi hop away from an energy attack, both holding each other's hands. They stare at each other for a second and nod.)

_Mezashita no wa aoi, aoi ano sora_

_(You aimed for that blue, blue sky)_

(Footage: A quick flash of the mysterious girl, then cut back to Nick and Akemi, both glowing with a powerful aura. After about a second, they thrust their hands forward and perform the Double Ojamajo Sparkle Screw, the silver beam of light blinding the screen.)

_Tsukinuketara mitsukaru to shitte_

_(If you break through, you know you'll find it)_

(Footage: Yuki pulls Doremi close to her to avoid a barrage of dark energy beams, nodding to the pink witch. The two join hands and begin chanting.)

_Furikiru hodo aoi, aoi ano sora_

_(So try until you break free to that blue, blue sky)_

(Footage: A quick flash of another mysterious girl, this one holding a microphone, then cut back to Yuki and Doremi, who thrust their hands into the sky to perform the Double Ojamajo Rewritten Masquerade, the massive collection of energy once again blinding the camera.)

_Aoi, aoi ano sora_

_(That blue, blue sky)_

(Footage: Quick flashes of the rest of the Ojamajos in spirit form.)

_Aoi, aoi ano sora_

_(That blue, blue sky)_

(Footage: A very familiar pair of blood-red eyes opens, the light covering the screen. When the light clears, we cut to Nick and Akemi at the beach, only this time, they're joined by Yuki and Doremi. Both couples are smiling brightly as the summer sun shines down on them.)

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(Even in the brightest light, there is always a little bit of darkness.)

**YukiShinoya444** and **S.P.D. Gold Ranger** present:

Doerai: Dawn of the Darkness

Story Created: November 9th, 2008

Summary: AU. In the end, there is only a new beginning. The story continues as Nick and his friends go through another set of experiences... And what of the others?

On Today's Episode: When Nick regains consciousness, he's filled with questions. None of which are answered. Still, what he's really concerned with is the young mistress with a name she wants them to guess... What could it be?

Authoress' Notes: This time, I will do the odds and Nick-kun will do the evens! Wai~

Disclaimer: ...Shouldn't it be obvious by now we don't own anything? (by S.P.D. Gold Ranger: EXACTLY, Yuki-chan.)

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Phase 6: A Neverending Bell of Miracles (written by **S.P.D. Gold Ranger**)

"Wow, Akemi-chan, I've never seen you that angry before..."

"Doremi-chan, remember, I already lost Moriko-chan... there's no way in HELL that I'm going to lose Nick, too."

"Still... I'm proud of you, Akemi-chan!! You've gotten so much braver since this all started! Good for you!!"

"Aw, thanks, Yuki-chan..."

"Speaking of Nick-kun, is he going to be all right, Hunter?"

"He should be. He's just unconscious."

"What I want to know is who that girl is..."

"I'm confused myself, Yuki-chan. She won't tell us her name, so that's not going to help..."

"Do you know her, Utau-chan?"

"You... you could say that..."

"Uhh..."

"Hey, he's waking up!!"

Nick slowly shook his head, trying to make sense of just what the hell was going on. The first thing he saw when he'd regained enough of his vision to see clearly was the worried face of his girlfriend staring at him.

"Akemi? What just happened?"

Akemi squealed with joy and threw her arms around Nick.

"Ah... easy, Akemi. My head still hurts from that surprise attack..."

"Oh, sorry..." Akemi's grip on Nick loosened a bit.

"Are you all right, Nick?"

"I should be asking you that, Akemi. That Golem freak didn't hurt you, did he?"

Akemi just shook her head. "Nah. I'm fine. The tanuki girl actually finished him off."

"Wow, really?"

Nick turned around to gaze at the girl and her tanuki. "I guess I owe you one... _arigatou gozaimasu_."

The girl smiled. "No problem!"

The tanuki simply growled.

"There's another thing I've been meaning to ask," Nick wondered, still a bit confused. "I don't think that tanuki likes me too much..."

"Oh, Torikki-kun's just like that," the girl responded.

"By the way, where are we?" Nick asked, not recognizing this area of the city.

"We're in the slums," Hunter answered. "Better protection in case of an attack."

"Attack?" Nick wondered, just then getting the idea. "OH. But why would Doerai want to attack a city like this?"

"It's... complicated," Hunter stated.

"Speaking of which, how is Doerai even back in the first place?" Doremi couldn't help but ask. "I'm quite sure I saw Kellysi-chan slice him in half two months ago..."

"Like many who live here, I have no idea how the dark prophet has returned. All I know is that he returned shortly after you four disappeared three years ago," Hunter explained.

"Disappeared?" Doremi wondered, now very confused.

"The last thing I remember back in Misora was the tanuki girl telling me to watch out for something after we followed her from the movie theater. I turned around, and everything after that until we woke up was a blank..." Nick recollected.

"_Who the hell are you?"_

"_Me?" the angelic voice responded, giggling. The dust cleared, and everyone got a good look at her._

_She was around Yuki's age, take a month or two. The top of her brown hair held two buns, only a little smaller than Doremi's, held with two ribbons and sparkling bells, which seemed to jingle as she got up. Her hair also seemed to fall beneath her shoulders, having a fluffy texture. The attire she wore seemed pretty simple: A dark brown vest over an almost just as dark green shirt, complimented by a snow white skirt and a pair of tennis shoes. Her eyes were also a strange, but not as strange as Utau's, shade of color: a bright bubblegum pink._

_The girl laughed again, holding up her hand._

"_Say something! Are you so distracted by my beauty that you got no words left?_

_Yuki blinked._

"_You got that from..."_

"_Yes, yes, I know." she sighed, shaking her head. "Torikki-kun told me about you... And I need to warn you, anyway."_

_Within moments, her eyecolor shifted from pink to a bright ruby red._

"_I want you to back off. All the homicides... That's my business, not yours."_

_Nick flinched. "It's OUR city!! What makes you think..."_

_The girl was shaking her head before he finished._

"_Mind your own business... Mm.. kay?"_

_The tanuki walked out, the mystery girl picking him up. "Anyway... Torikki-kun and I... We have some business to take care of."_

"_At least tell us what your name is..." Utau suggested, sighing a bit._

_The girl blinked._

_Just then, she flinched and jumped._

"_Abunai, kiddo!" she exclaimed to Nick. Nick took caution and looked around._

"_W-Wha..."_

_And then, it went black._

"Something's really not right here..." Yuki noted.

"I'm SO confused..." Akemi stated.

Suddenly, Nick shot to his feet at the feeling of a very familiar dark energy.

"Wait... that energy... it's not possible!!"

Almost as if to answer Nick's shocked inquiry, a little octopus-looking creature with a single, beady yellow eye flew up to the seven and projected an image of none other than Doerai himself.

"_Well, well, bratlings... we meet again after three years..."_ Doerai sneered. _"I wish I could say I was happy to see you. But, then again, times change."_

"I should have known it would be you," Hunter growled, sounding very angry at this point.

"_You should settle down, Hunter. One knows what that kind of anger will do to someone. You witnessed that first-hand."_

"Don't condescend to me, you dark freak," Hunter shot right back.

Doerai simply ignored Hunter's proclamation, turning towards Nick. _"Ah, the boy. At last, we get to talk."_

"What's there to talk about, Doerai?" Nick challenged. "I don't know how you came back, but I assure you that you'll pay for this."

"_Three years and you still haven't lost your attitude, boy. I admire that in a worthy opponent. But I must warn you that you have no hope of defeating me this time around. I have new powers that make your magic look like a little flash by comparison."_

"Don't talk down to me, you sick little freak. I have nothing to say to you, other that I'm going to destroy you for what you did to Momoko and all of my friends."

"_Still can't let them go, huh? How very foolish of you."_

Akemi stood by Nick's side, holding him close.

"Well, well, crystal witch. I see you like using that boy, huh?"

Something VERY unexpected happened at this rather simple proclamation: Akemi growled rather loudly, and a powerful-looking crystal blue aura exploded around her, nearly knocking the others to the ground.

"Don't... you... DARE make accusations about me and my boyfriend!!!" Akemi exclaimed.

"You know, you've got some nerve, Doerai. Talking about my girlfriend like that," Nick stated. "Kinda makes me think I should teach you a lesson."

Again, Doerai ignored this and instead focused on Yuki. _"Didn't I kill you before, black witch?"_

Doremi pulled her girlfriend close to her at this statement. "Don't you even think of taunting Yuki-chan like that!!"

"Yeah, freak!!" Yuki quickly responded. "Nick-kun kicked your keester before, and he'll gladly do it again!!"

"_Hmph. I see I'm wasting my time here."_

It was then that Doerai noticed the tanuki girl standing there. Doerai's eyes widened in honest surprise.

"_Hitomi Kokoro. I never thought I'd see you again."_

"Times change, freak," Hitomi shot back, Torikki tensing up like he wanted to bite the hell out of the dark prophet.

"_I see. Maybe I could send something for you to play with until you decide to come to your senses."_

Doerai raised his hands into the air, and this caused a massive rumbling that knocked everyone that was standing to the ground again.

Nick was the first to notice that something was emerging from the volcano that rested just over the horizon of Warfang. It appeared to be a lava rock creature similar to the Golem, but about fifty times bigger than the Golem.

"WHAT THE HELL IS THAT?!!" Yuki exclaimed.

"_I see you've noticed the Destroyer. Have fun playing."_

And with that, the image of Doerai disappeared, and the octopus creature that was projecting the image flew away.

"WHAT THE HELL IS THAT?!!" Yuki repeated.

"Calm down, Yuki-chan," Doremi commented.

"The black witch has every reason to be scared," Hunter stated, fear gripping his own voice. "The ancient legends say that the Destroyer brings about the birth of a new world."

"That doesn't seem to be so bad," Yuki noted.

"By issuing its destruction," Hunter finished. Yuki's eyes went nearly blank at this realization. "It travels the world over, leaving destruction in its wake, and once it completes it course at the beginning of its journey, the Belt of Fire it creates will utterly destroy this world..."

"So what you're saying is, if that thing makes a full lap around the world, we're finished?" Nick wondered.

"We've gotta stop it!!" Akemi exclaimed.

"It is no use," Hunter stated. "The beast moves too quickly for us to catch up to it."

Suddenly, Nick had a stroke of genius. "I've got it!! If we can't catch the thing, why not intercept it before it can finish its little run?"

Akemi's smile brightened considerably. "Nick, that's brilliant!!"

"I see," Hunter noted, drawing his bow and arrows. "We should take the path through the underground ruins. That will be our only hope of having the element of surprise without letting Doerai know we've left the city unguarded..."

"Well then, what are we standing around here for?!" Nick exclaimed. "Let's head for the ruins!!"

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Next time:

Phase 7: As Crystal Clear as Time Itself

The race is on as Nick, Hunter, and the girls head through the underground ruins of Warfang in a desperate effort to intercept the Destroyer before it can complete its course. Along the way, as the forces of darkness try to stray them from their task, Akemi continues to feel an ever-growing desire to protect Nick from whatever might come their way...


	7. As Crystal Clear as Time Itself

_Previously on Doerai: Dawn of the Darkness..._

Nick was the first to notice that something was emerging from the volcano that rested just over the horizon of Warfang. It appeared to be a lava rock creature similar to the Golem, but about fifty times bigger than the Golem.

"WHAT THE HELL IS THAT?!!" Yuki exclaimed.

"_I see you've noticed the Destroyer. Have fun playing."_

And with that, the image of Doerai disappeared, and the octopus creature that was projecting the image flew away.

"WHAT THE HELL IS THAT?!!" Yuki repeated.

"Calm down, Yuki-chan," Doremi commented.

"The black witch has every reason to be scared," Hunter stated, fear gripping his own voice. "The ancient legends say that the Destroyer brings about the birth of a new world."

"That doesn't seem to be so bad," Yuki noted.

"By issuing its destruction," Hunter finished. Yuki's eyes went nearly blank at this realization. "It travels the world over, leaving destruction in its wake, and once it completes it course at the beginning of its journey, the Belt of Fire it creates will utterly destroy this world..."

"So what you're saying is, if that thing makes a full lap around the world, we're finished?" Nick wondered.

"We've gotta stop it!!" Akemi exclaimed.

"It is no use," Hunter stated. "The beast moves too quickly for us to catch up to it."

Suddenly, Nick had a stroke of genius. "I've got it!! If we can't catch the thing, why not intercept it before it can finish its little run?"

Akemi's smile brightened considerably. "Nick, that's brilliant!!"

"I see," Hunter noted, drawing his bow and arrows. "We should take the path through the underground ruins. That will be our only hope of having the element of surprise without letting Doerai know we've left the city unguarded..."

"Well then, what are we standing around here for?!" Nick exclaimed. "Let's head for the ruins!!"

(Footage: As the opening begins, we can see a crystal-colored bird flying across the screen.)

_Habata itara modoranai to ittte_

_(You say if you could fly, you would never come back)_

(Footage: Nick and Akemi can be seen walking towards the beach, staring towards the sun.)

_Mezashita no wa aoi, aoi ano sora_

_(You aimed for that blue, blue sky)_

(Footage: Akemi smiles brightly, leading Nick to do the same. During the instrumental, we pan into the sky as the _Doerai: Dawn of the Darkness_ logo appears on the screen.)

"_Kanashimi" wa mada oboerarezu "setsunasa" wa ima tsukami hajimeta_

_(You've yet to remember "sadness", just now began to grasp "pain")_

(Footage: Yuki and Doremi can be seen strolling down the city streets, just happy to be with each other.)

_Anata e to daku kono kanjou mo ima "kotoba" ni kawatte iku_

_(Even the feelings I held onto for you are just now turning into words)_

(Footage: Something knocks Doremi to the ground, and Yuki spins around, only to gasp in shock at what she sees.)

_Michi naru sekai no yume kara mezamete_

_(As you awaken from the dream of an unknown world)_

(Footage: A tanuki hops off of a nearby building, crossing great distances with very little effort, as if it's looking for someone...)

_Kono hane wo hiroge tobitatsu_

_(Spread your wings and take off)_

(Footage: The tanuki sees something and its face lights up. It charges forward, hopping into the arms of a girl. We can't see her features, as her upper half is obscured by the camera.)

_Habata itara modoranai to ittte_

_(You say if you could fly, you would never come back)_

(Footage: Nick and Akemi hop away from an energy attack, both holding each other's hands. They stare at each other for a second and nod.)

_Mezashita no wa aoi, aoi ano sora_

_(You aimed for that blue, blue sky)_

(Footage: A quick flash of the mysterious girl, then cut back to Nick and Akemi, both glowing with a powerful aura. After about a second, they thrust their hands forward and perform the Double Ojamajo Sparkle Screw, the silver beam of light blinding the screen.)

_Tsukinuketara mitsukaru to shitte_

_(If you break through, you know you'll find it)_

(Footage: Yuki pulls Doremi close to her to avoid a barrage of dark energy beams, nodding to the pink witch. The two join hands and begin chanting.)

_Furikiru hodo aoi, aoi ano sora_

_(So try until you break free to that blue, blue sky)_

(Footage: A quick flash of another mysterious girl, this one holding a microphone, then cut back to Yuki and Doremi, who thrust their hands into the sky to perform the Double Ojamajo Rewritten Masquerade, the massive collection of energy once again blinding the camera.)

_Aoi, aoi ano sora_

_(That blue, blue sky)_

(Footage: Quick flashes of the rest of the Ojamajos in spirit form.)

_Aoi, aoi ano sora_

_(That blue, blue sky)_

(Footage: A very familiar pair of blood-red eyes opens, the light covering the screen. When the light clears, we cut to Nick and Akemi at the beach, only this time, they're joined by Yuki and Doremi. Both couples are smiling brightly as the summer sun shines down on them.)

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

(Even in the brightest light, there is always a little bit of darkness.)

**YukiShinoya444** and **S.P.D. Gold Ranger** present:

_Doerai: Dawn of the Darkness_

Story Created: November 9th, 2008

Summary: AU. In the end, there is only a new beginning. The story continues as Nick and his friends go through another set of experiences... And what of the others?

On Today's Episode: The race is on as Nick, Hunter, and the girls head through the underground ruins of Warfang in a desperate effort to intercept the Destroyer before it can complete its course. Along the way, as the forces of darkness try to stray them from their task, Akemi continues to feel an ever-growing desire to protect Nick from whatever might come their way...

Authoress' Notes: This time, I will do the odds and Nick-kun will do the evens! Wai~

**Disclaimer: ...Shouldn't it be obvious by now we don't own anything?** (by **S.P.D. Gold Ranger: EXACTLY, Yuki-chan.**)

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Phase 7: As Crystal Clear as Time Itself (written by **YukiShinoya444**)

"Underground... ruins... Urgh..."

Yuki pinched her nose. "Nothing ever smells pleasant in here."

"You'll get use to it, princess." Hitomi laughed, flipping a bit of her tree brown hair. Torikki beside her seems to growl.

_"Damn... I can smell that thing from over a hundred miles away..."_

This made Nick perk up.

"You're not like other tanuki, are you Torikki-kun?"

_"No... Really. Please, kid. How many magical tanuki do you know? The ones from myth?"_ Torikki shook his head, trotting along closer to his mistress' leg. _"Thank my mistress that I won't kill you..."_

Nick sighed. Akemi just smiled a bit.

"So... The tanuki girl's name is..."

"Hitomi." The said tanuki girl stated with a grin. "Kokoro Hitomi."

"So... Hitomi-chan? Or... Kokoro-chan?" Yuki asked, her mind in a confused whirl. Doremi just blinked twice.

"Hitomi's my first name. Kokoro's my surname. Either's fine, really." Hitomi waved her hand. "You call the boy 'Kellysi-chan' right? Even though his real name's Nick?"

"There's... a reason for that..." Nick muttered, blushing a bit.

His girlfriend blinked, and smiled. "My name's Suzuki Akemi. Nice to meet you, Hitomi-chan."

Hitomi nodded, while Torikki growl.

"Mistress..."

"Calm down, Torriki-kun!" Hitomi quickly snapped, extending her hand so the tanuki could crawl up to her shoulder. "Bad boy."

Torikki responded by using its tail to stoke her chin, earning a giggle to escape from her pink lips.

"Don't worry, I forgive you, Torriki-kun."

"So... How long have you and Torriki-kun been together?" Doremi asked as she fiddled with her fingers, hoping to pass the time quicker.

"Hm?" Hitomi blinked, her eye shade flickering from red to pink and back again until they turned a deep brown.

"I will not tell you that." she pronounced every word with a quick and easy breath, somehow making the statement sound more threatening. Hitomi looked ahead, her eyes going back to a crimson red.

"We got a Destroyer on our hands... Let's go kill it."

Nick and Akemi just looked at each other. Utau on the other hand just gulped, as if at some frightening memory.

Torikki huffed, growling yet again.

Hunter looked about. "Mistress... Can you sense the darkness?"

"Please, Torikki-kun tells me before time." Hitomi then flinched, Torikki's growls getting louder and louder.

"Incoming!!"

Everyone took caution when darkness started surrounding them. Yuki bit her lip as she quickly pulled Doremi close.

"Great... Another thing to add to our list our troubles."

Akemi latched onto Nick's arm, looking about. Nick looked a little confused.

"Akemi-chan...?"

Hunter readied his bow but Yuki raised her hand, Doremi still pushed against her chest. Hunter blinked, confused. Utau gasped, while Hitomi looked a little confused.

With that, she released the pink witch, walking up to where the darkness seemed to actually be moving.

"I'll give you something to be afraid of." the black witch stated coldly, glaring into the deep black.

She seemed to focus for a few minutes before her eyes snapped wide and she whipped out a fierce dark aura, rough enough that the energy nearly shoved everyone back and caused dents in the stone walls. Yuki's eyes then seemed to glow a dark black as a growl escaped her lips.

Within moments, the dark creatures let out a squeal, scattering back into the further of the ruins, obviously afraid of the black witch's power.

A smirk played on the girl's lips.

"Yuki-chan...?"

Yuki instantly snapped out of it, the dark aura retreating back into her body. Doremi quickly rushed up and caught her, confused as her girlfriend's breathing went back to gentle.

Hitomi whistled.

"Impressive, princess. That ought to freak them out for a while."

Torikki blinked, actually surprised.

_"Incredible power, there... The younger prince must of used it wisely."_

Yuki flinched a bit, pretending she had no idea who the tanuki meant.

_Don't think... Don't think... Don't think his name..._

Akemi let out a sigh of relief while Utau took cover behind Nick.

"I-I can't believe it! She's that strong... even now!!" she yelped, terrified. Her future father laughed a bit.

"Don't worry, it's just Yuki-chan."

Utau blinked as she watched Doremi help Yuki up, keeping a tight grip on the black witch's hand, as if she were afraid that Yuki would slip away if she released her.

She finally smiled.

Yeah... I should know... Yuki-chan's like that.

Hitomi walked forward, Torriki still clinging to her shoulder.

"Either way... We need to continue..."

Torriki lightly huffed.

_"Mistress."_ his voice whispered carefully into her ear. _"Are you absolutely positive about that girl's power? It was more than I expected..."_

"Everything usually is... You suspect too little of people, ironically." Hitomi gave him a half-smile.

"_Yes_, I'm positive."

Her tanuki just nodded, deciding against anything else.

Akemi blinked, a sigh escaping her lips.

Ahhh... My heart sped up for a second... How strange... I wasn't nervous or anything... So... What?

"Uh..." She looked at her boyfriend who looked back in confusion. Akemi quickly smiled.

"I'm... glad you're safe!"

Nick couldn't help but smile.

"Thanks, Akemi."

Hunter made a "huh" sound and they all continued on their pathway once again.

It was a matter of time.

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"We're getting closer..."

"Any idea of why we're walking?"

There was a sharp crunch.

"OW!! Hitomi-chan, control that tanuki of yours!!" Nick exclaimed, quickly shaking his hand that Torikki had bit. "Ow, damnit, OW!!"

Akemi giggled.

"Keep your hand up so he can't reach..." Hitomi sighed.

"Sheesh, Torriki-kun."

Torikki growled.

_"Boy needs to learn PATIENCE. Besides, it was a light bite."_

"As if I haven't heard that before..." Nick grumbled, rubbing where the tanuki had "lightly" bitten him.

_"At least it didn't pierce the skin..."_

"Will you SHUT UP?!" Yuki exclaimed, exasperated. "This is NOT the time to be arguing, Nick-kun!"

Doremi and Utau both nodded, feeling a bit uneasy.

"He started it..." the green witch mumbled, still annoyed.

"I'm going to END it."

"Fine..." he sighed. Akemi took his hand, smiling all the way.

_Oh Nick..._

Hunter perked up. "Mistress Hitomi... Do you feel that?"

Hitomi turned to Hunter and nodded.

"So you're the mistress..." Doremi mumbled, looking fascinated. Yuki growled a bit.

Hitomi simply smiled, her eyes a bright shade of pink now.

"So says the lucky one who has the princess as her own."

Doremi blushed darkly and scooted next to Yuki who placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Doremi-chan..."

The black witch let out a sigh.

"Hey, Hitomi-chan... Are we getting much closer?"

"Yeah... Um... Remember those dark creatures you spooked?"

Torikki began shuddering. Yuki's eyes widened. Hitomi's eye color went back to crimson red as she growled.

"They brought friends."

Nick snapped up and Akemi flinched. A look of confidence spread over the crystal witch's features.

_NOW!!_

"Abunai!!" Hitomi called out, only for a dark blast to burst out. Nick and Akemi quickly hopped out of the way, Akemi spinning and grasefully flipping as she landed, and curtiesed.

Utau had star eyes while everyone else looked a bit surpised.

"Sugoi, Akemi-chan..."

Akemi light blushed, holding up a victory sign.

"No way will I ever lose that."

Nick just smiled, nodded. Akemi nodded back.

They soon joined hands.

"_Spirits of the earth..."_ Nick chanted, his hand tightening around Akemi's.

"_Spirits of the stars...."_ Akemi continued, glowing with a silver aura.

"_Lend us your wills and give up the power to grant a miracle!! Our beautiful souls shall crush your dark heart!!"_ they both exclaimed, the force around them becoming tense.

"_Double Ojamajo Sparkle Screw!!"_

The beam of silver light shot into the darkness and it sucked away, appearing to roar in agony.

Yuki and Doremi both shuddered.

"Okay... EW."

Hitomi snapped up.

"Pheonix Flare!!" she exclaimed, unleashing a fiery blast at the darkness, which almost immediately withered away.

Taking a breath, Hitomi patted both of her hairbuns, ringing the bells attached.

The soothing sound echoed, brightening the path up ahead, free of any darkness.

Torriki's teeth bared, appearing to grin.

"Well done, mistress."

Hitomi nodded and winked.

"Aren't you glad I'm on your side? It's useful, right."

Nick just nodded, surprised.

"Definitely... Hitomi-chan."

Akemi pulled him close. "Nick... Are you alright?" she whispered in a light voice, looking up with sparkling eyes.

Nick quickly nodded, and his girlfriend smiled, relieved.

I really wish I could protect him like that...

Her eyes darted to Hitomi, her eyelids lowering.

It's really... amazing.

Yuki and Doremi walked forward, a little confused themselves.

"Hey, Yuki-chan... Have you seen that before?" Doremi asked with sparkling eyes.

Hitomi stared at them both, a little surprised herself.

"You mean... You haven't seen it before?" she asked, her eyes wide with confusion.

They both shook their heads.

"Strange... Um... You're familiar with... Urr... The older prince?"

Doremi flinched, a light blush crossing her cheeks.

"You mean... _Akatsuki-kun_, right?"

Yuki gulped and gripped her chest.

_No... Don't think his name... Don't think it..._

Hitomi's head bobbled. "Yes, you didn't know?"

Doremi frowned, and shook her head.

Hitomi's eyes turned a surprising shade of misty yellow as she looked off to the side, as if staring at something that wasn't even there.

"Daylight is like a healing from the dark... When you're alone and afraid of the night, the rising sun will always wash away those fears those injuries... Ah..."

She closed her eyes, looking calm for a minute.

"It's a beautiful feeling, really."

Torikki's ears folded back, his differently colored eyes wide.

"His powers are much more different... But they can be used differently then you think... For example... Instead of curing a tear to the heart, it could rip the fragile thing in half."

Hitomi smirked.

"Just saying."

Doremi covered her mouth in shock, Yuki gulped.

"He wouldn't do something like that... _right_?" the pink witch whispered, her lips pursued.

Hitomi shrugged.

Akemi's gaze once again darted to Nick.

_Nick... I wouldn't..._

She gulped, her heart pounding.

_No way in hell would I let something like that happen._

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Next time:

Phase 8: Midnight Revolution, Falling Comets

As the race continues, all hope seems lost for a few minutes when Nick encounters something shocking and unexpected... Something even Hitomi wasn't prepared for... Something Torikki didn't even see coming...


	8. Midnight Revolution, Falling Comets

_Previously on Doerai: Dawn of the Darkness..._

Hitomi's eyes turned a surprising shade of misty yellow as she looked off to the side, as if staring at something that wasn't even there.

"Daylight is like a healing from the dark... When you're alone and afraid of the night, the rising sun will always wash away those fears those injuries... Ah..."

She closed her eyes, looking calm for a minute.

"It's a beautiful feeling, really."

Torikki's ears folded back, his differently colored eyes wide.

"His powers are much more different... But they can be used differently then you think... For example... Instead of curing a tear to the heart, it could rip the fragile thing in half."

Hitomi smirked.

"Just saying."

Doremi covered her mouth in shock, Yuki gulped.

"He wouldn't do something like that... right?" the pink witch whispered, her lips pursued.

Hitomi shrugged.

Akemi's gaze once again darted to Nick.

_Nick... I wouldn't..._

She gulped, her heart pounding.

_No way in hell would I let something like that happen._

(Footage: As the opening begins, we can see a crystal-colored bird flying across the screen.)

_Habata itara modoranai to ittte_

_(You say if you could fly, you would never come back)_

(Footage: Nick and Akemi can be seen walking towards the beach, staring towards the sun.)

_Mezashita no wa aoi, aoi ano sora_

_(You aimed for that blue, blue sky)_

(Footage: Akemi smiles brightly, leading Nick to do the same. During the instrumental, we pan into the sky as the _Doerai: Dawn of the Darkness_ logo appears on the screen.)

"_Kanashimi" wa mada oboerarezu "setsunasa" wa ima tsukami hajimeta_

_(You've yet to remember "sadness", just now began to grasp "pain")_

(Footage: Yuki and Doremi can be seen strolling down the city streets, just happy to be with each other.)

_Anata e to daku kono kanjou mo ima "kotoba" ni kawatte iku_

_(Even the feelings I held onto for you are just now turning into words)_

(Footage: Something knocks Doremi to the ground, and Yuki spins around, only to gasp in shock at what she sees.)

_Michi naru sekai no yume kara mezamete_

_(As you awaken from the dream of an unknown world)_

(Footage: A tanuki hops off of a nearby building, crossing great distances with very little effort, as if it's looking for someone...)

_Kono hane wo hiroge tobitatsu_

_(Spread your wings and take off)_

(Footage: The tanuki sees something and its face lights up. It charges forward, hopping into the arms of a girl. We can't see her features, as her upper half is obscured by the camera.)

_Habata itara modoranai to ittte_

_(You say if you could fly, you would never come back)_

(Footage: Nick and Akemi hop away from an energy attack, both holding each other's hands. They stare at each other for a second and nod.)

_Mezashita no wa aoi, aoi ano sora_

_(You aimed for that blue, blue sky)_

(Footage: A quick flash of the mysterious girl, then cut back to Nick and Akemi, both glowing with a powerful aura. After about a second, they thrust their hands forward and perform the Double Ojamajo Sparkle Screw, the silver beam of light blinding the screen.)

_Tsukinuketara mitsukaru to shitte_

_(If you break through, you know you'll find it)_

(Footage: Yuki pulls Doremi close to her to avoid a barrage of dark energy beams, nodding to the pink witch. The two join hands and begin chanting.)

_Furikiru hodo aoi, aoi ano sora_

_(So try until you break free to that blue, blue sky)_

(Footage: A quick flash of another mysterious girl, this one holding a microphone, then cut back to Yuki and Doremi, who thrust their hands into the sky to perform the Double Ojamajo Rewritten Masquerade, the massive collection of energy once again blinding the camera.)

_Aoi, aoi ano sora_

_(That blue, blue sky)_

(Footage: Quick flashes of the rest of the Ojamajos in spirit form.)

_Aoi, aoi ano sora_

_(That blue, blue sky)_

(Footage: A very familiar pair of blood-red eyes opens, the light covering the screen. When the light clears, we cut to Nick and Akemi at the beach, only this time, they're joined by Yuki and Doremi. Both couples are smiling brightly as the summer sun shines down on them.)

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

(Even in the brightest light, there is always a little bit of darkness.)

**YukiShinoya444** and **S.P.D. Gold Ranger** present:

_Doerai: Dawn of the Darkness_

Story Created: November 9th, 2008

Summary: AU. In the end, there is only a new beginning. The story continues as Nick and his friends go through another set of experiences... And what of the others?

On Today's Episode: As the race continues, all hope seems lost for a few minutes when Nick encounters something shocking and unexpected... Something even Hitomi wasn't prepared for... Something Torikki didn't even see coming...

Authoress' Notes: This time, I will do the odds and Nick-kun will do the evens! Wai~

Disclaimer: ...Shouldn't it be obvious by now we don't own anything? (by S.P.D. Gold Ranger: EXACTLY, Yuki-chan.)

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Phase 8: Midnight Revolution, Falling Comets (written by **S.P.D. Gold Ranger**)

"How much farther is it? OUCH!!!!"

"_Be patient, boy."_

"Maybe I'll do that if you stop biting me every time I ask a question!! OW!!! STOP BITING ME, I SAID!!!"

Akemi couldn't help but giggle at this. _That's Nick, always impatient..._

"We should be getting closer," Hunter noted. "Should only be about twenty more minutes at this pace."

No one seemed to notice Yuki, who looked lost in thought.

_I can't take this anymore... I don't want to think about him, but he just comes zooming back into my heart no matter what I try..._

Yuki looked up towards the ceiling of the underground ruins.

What do I do? I'm gonna go crazy before long if this keeps up...

"I see it!!" Hitomi exclaimed. "There's the way out!!"

"I can see the Destroyer, too!!" Nick exclaimed. "We don't have much time!! Let's hurry!!"

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Once the party was out in the open again, they could clearly see the Destroyer approaching its' destination at a rapid pace.

"Okay, I have a new question, Hiko-chan," Yuki asked, to which Hitomi blushed a bit. "Now that we're in range of the Destroyer... HOW THE HELL DO WE STOP IT?!!"

"Let me try," Akemi stated, stepping up to the edge of the canyon and holding her hands out.

Knowing what Akemi was about to do, Nick walked up and placed his hands on Akemi's shoulders, transferring some of his energy to her. Akemi's aura grew larger as she focused.

"_The frost-covered determination of a shy girl, take this!! Ojamajo Crystal Cannon!!"_

Nodding to her boyfriend, Akemi fired her attack towards the Destroyer's legs, freezing them into a block of ice and stopping the Destroyer in its tracks.

"There we go," Akemi stated with a giggle.

"All right, now we have to destroy it," Doremi noted. "But how do we do that?"

"Look," Hitomi responded, pointing towards something on the Destroyer's head. Nick was the first to notice a gigantic, spiked purple crystal on the Destroyer's forehead.

"Of course!! I'll just bet that we have to destroy that thing if we're going to stop the Destroyer!!" Nick noted.

"Exactly, Nick," Hitomi noted, giggling a bit. "The problem is getting all the way up there to get at the darn thing..."

Nick responded to this by pulling out the seven Majokai Crystals. The others immediately got the message, gathering around Nick as he threw the crystals into the air. A powerful energy aura began gathering as the crystals spun around the four witch apprentices, covering them in a bright gold light.

When the bright flash died down, Nick, Yuki, Akemi, and Doremi had all transformed into their super forms.

"All right, now let's go deep-fry that sucker!!" Nick exclaimed, to which Hitomi and Yuki sweatdropped, Akemi and Utau giggled, and Doremi and Hunter just shook their heads.

Not wasting any more time, the four supercharged teenagers flew into the air and shot towards the immobilized Destroyer.

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"I see those fools are making an attempt to stop the Destroyer."

"Wishful thinking, Master Doerai."

"Let us watch and see how their foolish endeavor goes."

"Well said, Master Doerai. I will await this."

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"WHAT THE HELL?!!" Yuki exclaimed once the four had reached the Destroyer: there were dark crystals everywhere. "Don't freaking tell me that we have to destroy all of those damn things!!"

"It's gotta be the only way," Doremi noted, rubbing Yuki's shoulders in an attempt to calm her girlfriend down. "I'll just bet Doerai was expecting we'd think it would be easy."

"You know, Doerai's actually one of the smarter of the psychotic supervillains I've come across," Nick admitted, to which Akemi couldn't help but giggle.

"We may as well start our job," Akemi stated, flying over to one of the closer crystals and whacking it a few times, which caused it to shatter. The destroyed crystal emitted a pulse wave that would have knocked the crystal witch out of the sky had she not blocked in time, her now-golden hair flowing backwards in the wind.

Meanwhile, Yuki had decided to go after one of the larger crystals, wailing on it mercilessly.

"WHY... WON'T... YOU... BREAK?!!" Yuki screamed, having no luck in destroying the crystal.

"Yuki-chan, relax," Doremi stated, still rubbing Yuki's shoulders.

Out of the corner of Yuki's eye, the black witch saw the Destroyer turn its head towards Doremi and launch a meteor from its' mouth towards her.

"DOREMI-CHAN!!!"

Doremi just smiled and turned towards the incoming meteor.

"_The force of the unluckiest pretty girl in the world, take this!! Ojamajo Storming Spike!!"_

Doremi caught the meteor in a telekinetic grip and shot it towards the crystal that her girlfriend was attacking before, instantly shattering it.

"Just be patient," Doremi chided playfully, causing Yuki to blush.

Meanwhile, Nick had decided to go right for the giant crystal on the head.

"Figure I may as well end this," Nick noted, drawing his hand back.

"_The bow and string of a determined boy, take this!! Ojamajo Arrow of Light!!"_

The massive beam of emerald light shot forward, but...

"Damn it, not even dented!!" Nick exclaimed. "All right, then, time to step it up."

Nick covered himself in a bright emerald glow.

"_For one who never backs down in the face of challenge... the Green Purifier of Bravery, at your service!!"_

Yuki then noticed what Nick was up to.

"Hey, Nick-kun's got the right idea!!" Yuki exclaimed, covering herself in a twilight glow.

Akemi and Doremi did the same thing, powering up into their Purifier forms.

"_For one so brave for the sake of love..."_

Yuki glowed with a bright light, the Purifier uniform already forming and her hair pulling up into it's usual ribbon done ponytail.

"_The Black Purifier of Courage, at your service!!"_

"_For one with such a beauty and grace that will never falter..."_

Akemi's hair came undone, fastening into two long swirled up at the bottom ponytails as the purifier outfit materialized onto her slim body.

"_The Crystal Purifier of Elegance, at your service!!"_

"_For one who's kind and compassionate heart will shine through always..."_

Doremi's buns became spiraling pigtails as she glowed with a heavenly pink light, the purifier uniform forming on her angelic body as well.

"_The Pink Purifier of Compassion, at your service!!"_

"Amazing," Hunter stated in awe. "I had no idea they could be so powerful..."

Hitomi simply smiled.

Utau was hopping up and down like a giddy schoolgirl. "OKAA-SAMA!!! OTOU-SAN!!! GO AND KICK THAT THING'S BUTT!!!" the young singer exclaimed.

After a long and hard battle, the four supercharged teenagers managed to destroy all of the crystals...

...but the Destroyer was still alive.

"Persistent little bastard..." Yuki noted.

"We'll fix that," Nick stated, joining hands with Akemi and smiling.

"_Spirits of the earth..."_ Nick chanted, his hand tightening around Akemi's.

"_Spirits of the stars...."_ Akemi continued, glowing with a silver aura.

"_Lend us your wills and give up the power to grant a miracle!! Our beautiful souls shall crush your dark heart!!"_ they both exclaimed, the force around them becoming tense.

"_Double Ojamajo Sparkle Screw!!"_

The two lovers fired the powerful silver beam straight into the mouth of the Destroyer, causing explosions all over the beast.

"Mission accomplished," Nick stated.

However, something odd began happening.

"What's it doing?" Yuki asked.

"No idea," Doremi answered.

Nick suddenly looked shocked as the Destroyer continued to move forward, breaking its legs off of the parts that had been frozen by Akemi and reaching out to grab the structure it had created at the start of its journey.

"No..." Nick stated, almost losing his breath.

"We failed..." Hunter squeaked.

"No, there's still hope," Hitomi shot back. "We still have a few days before the Belt of Fire activates. We need to use that time to find Doerai and stop him!"

"How do we do that, Hiko-chan?" Utau asked, already starting to freak out.

"We need to get the others through the Belt of Fire to the Burned Lands. That should provide us enough time to reach Doerai's lair beyond the Floating Islands before it's too late," Hitomi explained.

"We heard what the plan is, Hiko-chan," Yuki exclaimed as she, Doremi, Akemi, and Nick flew back down to the others, disengaging their super forms. "We'd better hurry!!"

Nodding gravely, Hitomi and Utau hopped down to the ground just in front of the Belt of Fire, the others following suit.

"I must stay," Hunter stated. "I need to protect the city just in case. Farewell, my brave adventurers!!"

And with that, Hunter disappeared into the tunnels.

"Minna, get close to us!!" Yuki exclaimed as she and Doremi combined their powers to create a spherical blue barrier.

"This should give us some protection from the heat," Doremi noted as Nick and the girls entered the barrier.

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"No hope. They should know this by now."

"Fools rush in. That's what they say, Master Doerai."

"Exactly. We should let them play their inane little game. Once they arrive here, we will teach them not to mess with us."

"Well said, Master."

Before we fade to black, we can see a flash of familiar-looking black hair.

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Nick couldn't see anything but fire as the party continued their trek towards the Burned Lands.

"Man, when does this inferno end?!" Nick exclaimed, only to see the barrier flickering a bit. Turning towards Yuki and Doremi, the ones who were producing the barrier, he noticed that they both looked like they were about to collapse.

Just then, Yuki fell to her knees. The barrier nearly disappeared, but the black witch was barely able to keep the barrier up.

Doremi looked over at her girlfriend, knowing what she was thinking. _I won't go without Yuki-chan, though._

That was about it for Nick. "Yuki-chan, let's turn back. There's got to be another way!!"

Yuki shook her head. "Nick-kun... I've never done right by either of you... please, let me do this..."

This only confused Nick. "What are you saying?!"

"Nick... our path ends here... but yours lies beyond this," Doremi stated. "You guys need to stick together so this won't be for nothing..."

"Despite all the hateful things I've said to you, Nick-kun... I've always believed in you," Yuki admitted. "You need to take good care of Akemi-chan for me so Moriko-chan doesn't pound the daylights out of me, okay?"

Akemi looked like she was about to burst into tears. "Don't say things like that, Yuki-chan!! Please!!"

"It's all up to you two now," Doremi stated, the barrier disappearing and surrounding Nick, Akemi, Hitomi, and Utau.

"NOW GO!!!" were the last words Yuki and Doremi had to say before they used the last of their energy to send their friends on their way.

The four fell out of the barrier when it reached safe and solid ground on the outer edge of the Burned Lands. Nick scrambled to his feet and stared at the inferno in front of him, unable to believe what he was seeing.

"YUKI-CHAN!! DOREMI-CHAN!! NO!!!" Nick screamed, the flames of the Belt of Fire dancing about as if to mock him. Hitomi and Utau said nothing, too stunned to speak.

"Nick, stop!! It's too late!!" Akemi exclaimed, already in tears. "There's nothing you can do for them now..."

"No... they can't be gone!!" Nick exclaimed, trying his best not to face the truth.

"Nick... let it go..." Akemi pleaded.

All of a sudden, Nick underwent a terrifying transformation. His skin was now deathly pale, and an immense dark aura was radiating from him. His clothes had turned completely black, and his eyes now shined with an evil-looking light.

"Nick, please, don't!!" Akemi exclaimed.

"You can't stop me," Nick stated in a distorted voice.

"No, I can't. Only you can do that. Please, Nick... don't do this..." Akemi pleaded again.

This was enough to bring Nick back to his senses as he dropped to the ground and reverted back to his normal self.

"Nick... we have to go on. They wanted us to," Akemi stated, letting her hand rest on Nick's shoulder.

"It wasn't supposed to be like this," Nick responded, on the verge of breakdown. "I feel so alone..."

Akemi smiled at this. "You're not alone, Nick."

With that, Akemi brought Nick close to her and hugged him as tightly as she could. It took a few seconds for Nick to respond and return the embrace.

"I love you, Akemi."

"I love you, too, Nick."

"It's gonna be so hard without them..." Nick stated.

"We can do this, Nick," Akemi responded. "We have to. We can't let their sacrifice be for nothing."

"I'm with you, then, Akemi. I won't let Doerai spread any more of his madness."

"That's the spirit, dad!!" Utau exclaimed, finally finding her own voice.

"I'll admit, I wasn't prepared for that..." Hitomi noted. "Doremi-chan looked better than the princess did... maybe Doremi-chan sacrificed herself so she could be with the princess in the afterlife..."

"_I never expected the princess to give her life for the one she loved... Just don't you dare try that with my mistress..."_ Torikki growled.

This caught Nick's attention as he separated himself from Akemi. "Torikki-kun, just what do you think you're implying?"

"_You know damn well what, boy."_

"Don't play mind games with me, buddy!!"

That was about it for Torikki, who leapt up and sank his teeth deep into Nick's hand.

"OW!!!! LET GO OF ME, YOU LITTLE BASTARD!!!" Nick screamed, trying in vain to shake off the angry tanuki.

"Torikki-kun, that's quite enough!!!" Hitomi exclaimed, prying her tanuki off of Nick.

Akemi was over by her boyfriend in a flash, placing her hands on his wound.

"_Soten kisshun!! I reject!!"_

With that, the bite marks were gone, and Nick's hand was good as new.

Not saying anything more, Nick continued forward, Akemi not too far behind.

"Great... You really did it this time, Torikki-kun," Hitomi stated.

"_I just worry about you, mistress."_

"He'd NEVER try a stunt like that with me. He's already got someone. I still don't understand why you hate him so much, Torikki-kun..."

"_I wish I could tell you that myself, mistress... something about him just rubs me the wrong way..."_

Hitomi sighed heavily. "Oh, boy..."

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Next time:

Phase 9: Farewell to the End of a Dream

As the party continues through the Burned Lands, Akemi can easily see that Yuki and Doremi's ultimate sacrifice is still weighing heavily on Nick's mind. Can she find a way to snap her boyfriend out of his deep blue funk?


	9. Farewell to the End of a Dream

_Previously on Doerai: Dawn of the Darkness..._

"It wasn't supposed to be like this," Nick responded, on the verge of breakdown. "I feel so alone..."

Akemi smiled at this. "You're not alone, Nick."

With that, Akemi brought Nick close to her and hugged him as tightly as she could. It took a few seconds for Nick to respond and return the embrace.

"I love you, Akemi."

"I love you, too, Nick."

"It's gonna be so hard without them..." Nick stated.

"We can do this, Nick," Akemi responded. "We have to. We can't let their sacrifice be for nothing."

"I'm with you, then, Akemi. I won't let Doerai spread any more of his madness."

"That's the spirit, dad!!" Utau exclaimed, finally finding her own voice.

"I'll admit, I wasn't prepared for that..." Hitomi noted. "Doremi-chan looked better than the princess did... maybe Doremi-chan sacrificed herself so she could be with the princess in the afterlife..."

"_I never expected the princess to give her life for the one she loved... Just don't you dare try that with my mistress..."_ Torikki growled.

This caught Nick's attention as he separated himself from Akemi. "Torikki-kun, just what do you think you're implying?"

"_You know damn well what, boy."_

"Don't play mind games with me, buddy!!"

That was about it for Torikki, who leapt up and sank his teeth deep into Nick's hand.

"OW!!!! LET GO OF ME, YOU LITTLE BASTARD!!!" Nick screamed, trying in vain to shake off the angry tanuki.

"Torikki-kun, that's quite enough!!!" Hitomi exclaimed, prying her tanuki off of Nick.

Akemi was over by her boyfriend in a flash, placing her hands on his wound.

"_Soten kisshun!! I reject!!"_

With that, the bite marks were gone, and Nick's hand was good as new.

Not saying anything more, Nick continued forward, Akemi not too far behind.

"Great... You really did it this time, Torikki-kun," Hitomi stated.

"_I just worry about you, mistress."_

"He'd NEVER try a stunt like that with me. He's already got someone. I still don't understand why you hate him so much, Torikki-kun..."

"_I wish I could tell you that myself, mistress... something about him just rubs me the wrong way..."_

Hitomi sighed heavily. "Oh, boy..."

(Footage: As the opening begins, we can see a crystal-colored bird flying across the screen.)

_Habata itara modoranai to ittte_

_(You say if you could fly, you would never come back)_

(Footage: Nick and Akemi can be seen walking towards the beach, staring towards the sun.)

_Mezashita no wa aoi, aoi ano sora_

_(You aimed for that blue, blue sky)_

(Footage: Akemi smiles brightly, leading Nick to do the same. During the instrumental, we pan into the sky as the Doerai: Dawn of the Darkness logo appears on the screen.)

"_Kanashimi" wa mada oboerarezu "setsunasa" wa ima tsukami hajimeta_

_(You've yet to remember "sadness", just now began to grasp "pain")_

(Footage: Yuki and Doremi can be seen strolling down the city streets, just happy to be with each other.)

_Anata e to daku kono kanjou mo ima "kotoba" ni kawatte iku_

_(Even the feelings I held onto for you are just now turning into words)_

(Footage: Something knocks Doremi to the ground, and Yuki spins around, only to gasp in shock at what she sees.)

_Michi naru sekai no yume kara mezamete_

_(As you awaken from the dream of an unknown world)_

(Footage: A tanuki hops off of a nearby building, crossing great distances with very little effort, as if it's looking for someone...)

_Kono hane wo hiroge tobitatsu_

_(Spread your wings and take off)_

(Footage: The tanuki sees something and its face lights up. It charges forward, hopping into the arms of a girl. We can't see her features, as her upper half is obscured by the camera.)

_Habata itara modoranai to ittte_

_(You say if you could fly, you would never come back)_

(Footage: Nick and Akemi hop away from an energy attack, both holding each other's hands. They stare at each other for a second and nod.)

_Mezashita no wa aoi, aoi ano sora_

_(You aimed for that blue, blue sky)_

(Footage: A quick flash of the mysterious girl, then cut back to Nick and Akemi, both glowing with a powerful aura. After about a second, they thrust their hands forward and perform the Double Ojamajo Sparkle Screw, the silver beam of light blinding the screen.)

_Tsukinuketara mitsukaru to shitte_

_(If you break through, you know you'll find it)_

(Footage: Yuki pulls Doremi close to her to avoid a barrage of dark energy beams, nodding to the pink witch. The two join hands and begin chanting.)

_Furikiru hodo aoi, aoi ano sora_

_(So try until you break free to that blue, blue sky)_

(Footage: A quick flash of another mysterious girl, this one holding a microphone, then cut back to Yuki and Doremi, who thrust their hands into the sky to perform the Double Ojamajo Rewritten Masquerade, the massive collection of energy once again blinding the camera.)

_Aoi, aoi ano sora_

_(That blue, blue sky)_

(Footage: Quick flashes of the rest of the Ojamajos in spirit form.)

_Aoi, aoi ano sora_

_(That blue, blue sky)_

(Footage: A very familiar pair of blood-red eyes opens, the light covering the screen. When the light clears, we cut to Nick and Akemi at the beach, only this time, they're joined by Yuki and Doremi. Both couples are smiling brightly as the summer sun shines down on them.)

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(Even in the brightest light, there is always a little bit of darkness.)

**YukiShinoya444** and **S.P.D. Gold Ranger** present:

_Doerai: Dawn of the Darkness_

Story Created: November 9th, 2008

Summary: AU. In the end, there is only a new beginning. The story continues as Nick and his friends go through another set of experiences... And what of the others?

On Today's Episode: As the party continues through the Burned Lands, Akemi can easily see that Yuki and Doremi's ultimate sacrifice is still weighing heavily on Nick's mind. Can she find a way to snap her boyfriend out of his deep blue funk?

Authoress' Notes: This time, I will do the odds and Nick-kun will do the evens! Wai~

**Disclaimer: ...Shouldn't it be obvious by now we don't own anything? **(by **S.P.D. Gold Ranger**: **EXACTLY, Yuki-chan.**)

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Phase 9: Farewell to the End of a Dream (written by **YukiShinoya444**)

"_You're hurt... Please don't get up."_

"_No, I'm just fine!!"_

"_It's sprained, isn't it?"_

"_No fair, you notice everything."_

"_That's only because we're together."_

"_Ah... True."_

"_...Hm?"_

"_You're a really kind person, even if you don't like to show it."_

"_Says you."_

"_It's true."_

"_Is it?"_

"_Of course..."_

"_Why?"_

"_I would know better than anyone._

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"Thanks for everything."

The remainder of the group walked in silence, no one willing to really say a word after what had happened to Yuki and Doremi.

Nick shut his eyes tightly, strain obvious on his features as the two girls' faces flashed through his mind.

_Doremi-chan... Yuki-chan..._

"_Nick-kun, Nick-kun, Nick-kun..."_ Yuki's voice chanted in his head, adding to the pressure.

"_I'm sorry."_

_No... Don't apologize... You've always had it so much harder than I ever had..._

Nick's fingers twitched a bit, and Akemi casted a glance in his direction.

_Nick..._

Her boyfriend perked up at the sound of Hitomi flicking her bells. There was no ring, just a metal clang.

"Damn..." she cursed, causing Torikki to start staring at the young mistress with uneasy gazes.

"_Milady... Mistress..."_

"Not the time, not the time." Hitomi turned to Nick and forced a smile, her eyes a gleaming ruby red.

"Upset about the princess?"

Nick just nodded, his eyes blank.

Utau gulped, her own eyes glittering.

"D-Dad..."

"No worries, Utau-chan..." her future father's voice shook a bit on the line Yuki was known for saying. "E-Everything's alright."

"It doesn't _look_ alright," Akemi muttered, her gentle voice just below a whisper so Nick wouldn't hear.

Torikki's ear twitched, but he turned his dull differently colored eyes on his master, something swirling in them as he watched her.

Hitomi noticed the avid expression.

"Really Torikki-kun, I'm just fine." She whispered, bending down to ruffle the top of the tanuki's head. "Please, don't worry."

"_Whatever you say, mistress."_

A low rumble came from Torikki's chest. _"It's just that the princess..."_

"Yes..." Hitomi replied absently, laying her head on her bended knees. "It can't be helped, Torikki-kun."

"_Can it?"_

The low growl was a sign of doubt.

The brunette just smiled.

"Of course."

The tanuki blinked in confusion. Hitomi weakly giggled, scooping up Torikki. He automatically buried his face in her chest like a puppy, comforted by the warmth and gentle heartbeat.

Hitomi smiled softly, stroking the top of his head.

_Oh, Torikki-kun..._

Torikki seemed to calm down a bit and tilted his head to the side.

"_We... We should get going, right mistress?"_

Hitomi merely nodded and turned her gaze to Nick, her eyes flickering to a surprisingly deep shade of blue, almost as sapphire blue as Akemi's were.

"You coming, kid?"

"Don't call me a 'kid'." Nick muttered half-heartedly, both staring down with his fists clenched as he bit his lip.

Akemi blinked childishly, placing her delicate hand on his arm.

"Nick..."

Nick gently brushed her hand away, shrugging.

"Hitomi-chan's right..."

The expression on his girlfriend's face didn't change. Instead, her frown deepened, her eyes sparkling as if tears were about to spill out.

"I'm sorry Akemi." The green witch whispered, his heart wrenching at the heartbreaking sight. "Please..."

His fingers barely brushed against her cheek and she quickly smiled reassuringly.

"If you ever have something bothering you... Please tell me."

Nick just blinked, still blank.

Akemi placed a hand on his shoulder, pressing her forehead against his chest.

"When you're hurt, it hurts me too. Please, Nick... Don't ever hesitate."

Nick's eyes widened and he nodded.

"Thank you... Akemi."

Utau smiled a bit at the sight.

_Mom..._

Hitomi blinked, her eyes flickering to a shade of light mahogany.

_Those two..._

She chewed her lip, her fingers clinging even tighter to Torikki's fur, earning a light yelp.

_I may not have the luxury of someone to love me... Torikki-kun's all I have. I've seen too many people die to feel anything..._

A sigh escaped her lips.

_...What a big lie. What a joke. Damn..._

Her lips tightened and pursued.

"...Come on, we really should hurry."

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"_Aren't you angry?"_

"_Of course."_

"_...I'm sorry."_

"_It's not your fault..."_

"_It is."_

"_Stupid..."_

"_What?"_

"_It doesn't matter."_

"_Why?"_

"_You're not very smart, are you?"_

"_...You're leaving, right?"_

"_Yes."_

"_I'll miss you."_

"_Huh..."_

"_I really will."_

"_Thank you."_

"_I'm happy to know you."_

"_You really shouldn't say such things so easily."_

"_Can I help it?"_

"_No... I suppose you can't."_

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"_You're a nice person, Nick-kun. I'm sorry for all those terrible things I said."_

Nick flinched a bit, holding his head.

Damn it Yuki-chan... How...? Why?

Akemi tapped his arm, frowning as they went. A question bubbled to her lips.

"_You don't trust me, don't you?"_

The crystal witch held her tongue, heart pounding.

_I shouldn't say such things._

She glanced at Nick again, her fingers entwining.

What should I say? What should I say?

_If Moriko-chan was here..._ She flinched a bit at the thought of her old best friend.

Her very best friend who held special feelings above friendship that she was unbelievably _oblivious_ to...

_What would _she_ do?_

_Simple_.

She'd punch Nick in the face and tell him to get over it.

That would be a very typical Moriko.

Akemi shook her head; the last thing she wanted was to cause him physical pain... Even if that answer would probably work if Moriko _was_ there to begin with.

_It would work for her... But I'm no Moriko-chan... Calm and sweet? I lost Moriko-chan... Not to mention just about everyone else... What can I do?_

She glanced at Nick again, and sighed.

_Nick..._

Her fists clenched, her chest tightening up.

_Why Yuki-chan? Why Doremi-chan? Yuki-chan's gone through so much already... and Doremi-chan would never do anything to anyone... They're so sweet and kind... They're perfect for each other... Neither of them deserve this..._

_Nick doesn't, either._

She let out her breath.

I don't know just what to think... What to do...? I'm no good... Darn it... I can't stand that about me.

Her older brother's face flashed in her mind, and a sigh escaped her lips.

"_You're such a crybaby, Akemi-chan."_

Her lips quivered, tears threatening to fall out as she shut her eyes as tightly as she could.

_NO! I'm not like that anymore!!_

"Mom?"

"Huh?"

Akemi quickly spun around, her flushed face meeting Utau's uncertain one.

"Utau-chan?"

"Is... Is something wrong?"

The crystal witch flinched and looked down, her own expression blank as she weakly shrugged.

"Is it about Yuki-chan and Doremi-chan?" Utau asked before biting her lip. "I'm sorry, Akemi-chan."

"Don't apologize."

Her future daughter perked up, and Akemi's voice shook a little.

"Someone special to me... taught me that pity isn't always a good thing, Utau-chan. I'm starting to think that she really knew what she was talking about."

"Oh..."

Utau let out a light breath.

"What am I supposed to say then?"

Akemi smiled a bit, shrugging again.

"That's exactly what I asked."

"Really?" Utau's eyes sparkled at the seemingly simple statement.

"How did she answer?"

A light giggle escaped Akemi's lips.

"Who knows, huh?"

Nick seemed to perk up, glancing at Akemi.

His girlfriend noticed, and returned the stare.

_Nick..._

Her boyfriend smiled weakly and continued on.

Akemi sighed.

"I wish that he would tell me what's on his mind..."

"The answer would be obvious," Utau stated thoughtfully. "He's thinking about Yuki-chan and Doremi-chan, right?"

_Yes... That's how it is... But still..._

The crystal witch went silent.

_But, still... I..._

Her mouth went

_...I never noticed how close Nick and Yuki-chan were._

_Pathetic.  
_

Her heart pounded.

_She didn't love him nearly as much as she loved Saiki-kun... But he was special to her... and she was special to him... In more ways than I just now realize..._

_Man, what is wrong with me?_

Mind in a whirl, she quickly shook her head.

"Hi... _Hitomi-chan_!!"

"Yes?"

Akemi gasped for breath when she spun around to face the approaching young mistress, the tanuki still in her arms.

Hitomi noticed the crystal witch's expression, and frowned.

"What's wrong?"

"Upset about the kid?" Torikki growled. _"What I wouldn't give..."_

Akemi gulped, her heart picking up the pace.

"What do you... know about Yuki-chan?"

"Huh? The princess was _your_ friend, wasn't she?"

"Yes, but..."

"Don't be so stressed, crystal-hair." The tanuki barked, obviously annoyed.

"The princess is exactly who she is, and don't poke your head into someone else's business. I feel sorry for your loss..."

"Please don't..." Akemi whispered, backing away. "Please don't, Torikki-kun."

No reply.

The crystal witch shook her head, blushing even more than ever.

_Stupid, stupid, STUPID!!_

She spun around to Nick's wavering figure in the distance.

_..!!!_

Her eyes widened, her pupils shrinking in the bright light.

_No... Oh... Oh, no..._

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Next time:

Phase 10: Leaving Sadness in the Starry Night

As the group continues its journey, problems arise and more tragedies occur. Hitomi notices but makes her choice. Nick notices, and struggles with one of the most difficult choices he may ever have to make...


	10. Leaving Sadness in the Starry Night

_Previously on Doerai: Dawn of the Darkness..._

"What's wrong?"

"_Upset about the kid?"_ Torikki growled. _"What I wouldn't give..."_

Akemi gulped, her heart picking up the pace.

"What do you... know about Yuki-chan?"

"Huh? The princess was your friend, wasn't she?"

"Yes, but..."

"_Don't be so stressed, crystal-hair."_ The tanuki barked, obviously annoyed.

"_The princess is exactly who she is, and don't poke your head into someone else's business. I feel sorry for your loss..."_

"Please don't..." Akemi whispered, backing away. "Please don't, Torikki-kun."

No reply.

The crystal witch shook her head, blushing even more than ever.

_Stupid, stupid, STUPID!!_

She spun around to Nick's wavering figure in the distance.

_..!!!_

Her eyes widened, her pupils shrinking in the bright light.

_No... Oh... Oh, no..._

(Footage: As the opening begins, we can see a crystal-colored bird flying across the screen.)

_Habata itara modoranai to ittte_

_(You say if you could fly, you would never come back)_

(Footage: Nick and Akemi can be seen walking towards the beach, staring towards the sun.)

_Mezashita no wa aoi, aoi ano sora_

_(You aimed for that blue, blue sky)_

(Footage: Akemi smiles brightly, leading Nick to do the same. During the instrumental, we pan into the sky as the Doerai: Dawn of the Darkness logo appears on the screen.)

"_Kanashimi" wa mada oboerarezu "setsunasa" wa ima tsukami hajimeta_

_(You've yet to remember "sadness", just now began to grasp "pain")_

(Footage: Yuki and Doremi can be seen strolling down the city streets, just happy to be with each other.)

_Anata e to daku kono kanjou mo ima "kotoba" ni kawatte iku_

_(Even the feelings I held onto for you are just now turning into words)_

(Footage: Something knocks Doremi to the ground, and Yuki spins around, only to gasp in shock at what she sees.)

_Michi naru sekai no yume kara mezamete_

_(As you awaken from the dream of an unknown world)_

(Footage: A tanuki hops off of a nearby building, crossing great distances with very little effort, as if it's looking for someone...)

_Kono hane wo hiroge tobitatsu_

_(Spread your wings and take off)_

(Footage: The tanuki sees something and its face lights up. It charges forward, hopping into the arms of a girl. We can't see her features, as her upper half is obscured by the camera.)

_Habata itara modoranai to ittte_

_(You say if you could fly, you would never come back)_

(Footage: Nick and Akemi hop away from an energy attack, both holding each other's hands. They stare at each other for a second and nod.)

_Mezashita no wa aoi, aoi ano sora_

_(You aimed for that blue, blue sky)_

(Footage: A quick flash of the mysterious girl, then cut back to Nick and Akemi, both glowing with a powerful aura. After about a second, they thrust their hands forward and perform the Double Ojamajo Sparkle Screw, the silver beam of light blinding the screen.)

_Tsukinuketara mitsukaru to shitte_

_(If you break through, you know you'll find it)_

(Footage: Yuki pulls Doremi close to her to avoid a barrage of dark energy beams, nodding to the pink witch. The two join hands and begin chanting.)

_Furikiru hodo aoi, aoi ano sora_

_(So try until you break free to that blue, blue sky)_

(Footage: A quick flash of another mysterious girl, this one holding a microphone, then cut back to Yuki and Doremi, who thrust their hands into the sky to perform the Double Ojamajo Rewritten Masquerade, the massive collection of energy once again blinding the camera.)

_Aoi, aoi ano sora_

_(That blue, blue sky)_

(Footage: Quick flashes of the rest of the Ojamajos in spirit form.)

_Aoi, aoi ano sora_

_(That blue, blue sky)_

(Footage: A very familiar pair of blood-red eyes opens, the light covering the screen. When the light clears, we cut to Nick and Akemi at the beach, only this time, they're joined by Yuki and Doremi. Both couples are smiling brightly as the summer sun shines down on them.)

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(Even in the brightest light, there is always a little bit of darkness.)

**YukiShinoya444** and **S.P.D. Gold Ranger** present:

_Doerai: Dawn of the Darkness_

Story Created: November 9th, 2008

Summary: AU. In the end, there is only a new beginning. The story continues as Nick and his friends go through another set of experiences... And what of the others?

On Today's Episode: As the group continues its journey, problems arise and more tragedies occur. Hitomi notices but makes her choice. Nick notices, and struggles with one of the most difficult choices he may ever have to make...

Authoress' Notes: This time, I will do the odds and Nick-kun will do the evens! Wai~

**Disclaimer: ...Shouldn't it be obvious by now we don't own anything?** (by **S.P.D. Gold Ranger: EXACTLY, Yuki-chan.**)

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Phase 10: Leaving Sadness in the Starry Night (written by **S.P.D. Gold Ranger**)

Much of the next leg of the trip was silent as Nick, Hitomi, Utau, and Akemi continued their journey through the Burned Lands.

Every so often, Akemi would cast a glance at Nick, still very worried about her upset boyfriend. _Momo-chan told me once that Nick's never easily been able to open up, even around her... I've gotta help him try. Maybe he'll feel better if he can tell me what's on his mind..._

Akemi smiled a bit. _If Momo-chan can't help him open up, I've gotta try. Nick needs me more than ever now._

Making up her mind, the crystal witch tapped Nick on the shoulder. "Nick? Could I talk to you for a second?"

Nick just nodded.

"Could you excuse us, girls?"

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"DAMN IT!!!"

"It seems the princess and her lover knew, Master Doerai. They knew of the power sealed within them. What shall we do now that we can't access that power?"

"This is only a minor setback, my apprentice. We will attain that power somehow. Make no mistake."

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"Something on your mind, Akemi?"

With that, Akemi just decided to take a chance. "I was hoping you could answer that question, Nick."

"Huh?"

"Momo-chan once told me that you've never been able to open up easily, even to her. It just pains me to see you like this..."

"It's tough, Akemi. Only Momoko's ever seen my sad side before..."

"Why don't you let it out? I'm sure you'll feel much better..."

Nick nodded, and with that, he couldn't take it anymore and just burst out crying. Akemi simply held him close to her as he continued to cry.

"There, there." There wasn't much else Akemi could bring herself to say.

After about fifteen minutes, Nick's crying had subsided somewhat. He was feeling much better, having purged a lot of torment in his tears.

"You feeling any better, Nick?" Akemi asked.

"Lots," Nick responded. "Thanks, Akemi."

The crystal witch giggled. "No problem. Now why don't you tell me what's on your mind?"

Seeing no more reason to hold anything back, Nick decided to say his piece. "I've always had my own special relationships with them. Doremi-chan had been my first friend since I was very young. It's really hard to let go of your first friendship like that. Even after I met Momoko and subsequently fell head over heels for her, I never let go of my friendship with Doremi-chan. She was my first true friend growing up, and there was no way in hell I'd just let it go like that."

"And Yuki-chan?"

"We all know she's had a rough childhood because of her dark powers. Saiki-kun was the first person who was able to touch her heart, and I was apparently the second. Saiki-kun and I were the first people she'd allowed to touch her heart like that. I'd always believed in her no matter what the circumstances were, especially after Saiki-kun was murdered and she said those hurtful things to me. I never gave up on her no matter what the circumstances were, and that's why I've always liked Yuki-chan in my own special way."

Akemi's smile had been growing this whole time. She was very proud of her boyfriend. "There, now was that so hard?"

"I guess not. Arigatou, Akemi."

Akemi leaned over and kissed Nick passionately. When she pulled back, she was smiling brightly. "Remember, Nick, if there's EVER anything you want to talk about, I'll be there to listen, okay?"

"No problem."

"Hey, otou-san!! You feeling any better?" Utau's unmistakable voice rang out.

"Yeah, I should be, Utau-chan. Akemi and I just talked for a while."

"You still upset about the princess?" Hitomi asked, having just walked onto the scene.

"A little," Nick responded. "It really helped talking with Akemi about it."

"Well, shall we continue on, then?"

"Good idea, Hiko-chan."

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"Say, dad, do you want to hear a song I wrote? It should make you feel a little better!!" Utau exclaimed, her microphone already out.

"If you think you can, go for it," Nick replied. Utau had already begun singing.

_sora tooi sora_

_tsubuyaita koe_

_anata no yume wa ima hoshi no sharin wo mawasu_

_(Sky, far away sky_

_A murmured voice_

_Your dream now turns the wheel of the stars)_

"Wow, she really IS a good singer!!" Akemi exclaimed.

"No kidding. I could have told you that," Hitomi giggled.

_watashi itsumo doko ni mo inai_

_sou kanjiteta sono hitomi shiru made wa_

_(I felt like I would never be anywhere,_

_until I felt your eyes on me.)_

Nick soon found himself lost in his future daughter's beautiful singing. _She really CAN sing well..._

_mune no katasumi kaketa tsuki ga hitotsu aru dake_

_demo donna ni hosoi michi mo terasu you ni hikaru_

_(There is but one eclipsed moon in the corner of my heart..._

_May it shine enough to light up whatever narrow path you take.)_

Hitomi giggled, but suddenly felt something strange in the air. "Wait a minute..."

_sotto hoshi-tachi ga yubisashite-iru_

_anata no yuku saki wa suishou no mori ni naru_

_(Quietly, the stars point the way,_

_And the path before you becomes a forest of crystals.)_

_watashi itsuka kono te no hira de_

_anata no koto subete kara mamoritai_

_(Someday, I want to protect you from everything,_

_cradled in the palm of my hands.)_

_atatakai yoru mada chiisa na tsuki no sumu ie_

_demo anata ga nemuru toki wa yasashii akari tomosu no_

_(On a warm night as you sleep,_

_A gentle light lights up a house where a small moon still dwells)_

_Whoa... it's like all the stress is just draining out from me..._ Nick thought, still lost in the song.

Utau seemed to notice this. "That's the idea of _Tsuki no Ie_! It's meant to make all your troubles just float away!!"

Smiling brightly, Utau decided to finish up her song.

_mune no katasumi kaketa tsuki ga hitotsu aru dake_

_demo donna ni hosoi michi mo terasu you ni hikaru_

_(There is but one eclipsed moon in the corner of my heart..._

_May it shine enough to light up whatever narrow path you take.)_

By the time the song was over, Nick and the others were applauding loudly. Hitomi, however, was more concerned with the mysterious presence she felt.

"What was that?" Hitomi asked nobody in particular.

Then, almost as if to answer Hitomi's question, something destroyed a good chunk of the ground around them and popped up from the lava flows below.

"No... not him..." Hitomi stated, worry filling her voice. "Not the Dragoon..."

"What are you talking about, Hiko-chan?" Utau chimed in.

"You don't remember that thing, Utau-chan?" Hitomi responded.

"I never forgave that thing for what he did to okaa-sama," Utau growled.

However, before Akemi could ask what Utau meant by this, the Dragoon had already launched one of its long arms out and snatched Nick right off of the ground.

"NICK!!!!" Akemi exclaimed. "LET HIM GO, YOU LAVA FREAK!!!"

The Dragoon shook his head. "I don't think so. This boy is mine."

In response to this, the Dragoon's grip on Nick tightened, as if ready to squeeze the life out of him.

Nick, however, simply grinned and shut his eyes. The seven Majokai Crystals appeared around him.

"What?!" the Dragoon exclaimed, still tightening its grip on Nick, but it was not to be, as the instant Nick disappeared from sight in the Dragoon's fist, golden energy exploded outwards, crumbling the Dragoon's hand and showing that Nick had taken the opportunity to transform into his super form, his golden hair flowing in the aura surrounding him.

Not wasting a single second, Nick flew forward, surrounding himself with energy as he crashed straight through the Dragoon's chest, flying around to where the Dragoon couldn't reach him.

"You are beginning to annoy me, boy," the Dragoon stated.

"Yeah, yeah, tell it to someone who cares!!" Nick shot back, focusing his energy.

All of a sudden, back down on solid ground, Torikki hopped out of Hitomi's arms and rushed towards the Dragoon.

"Torikki-kun, WAIT!!!" Hitomi exclaimed, fearing for her tanuki's safety.

Torikki stopped just short of the lava flows the Dragoon had appeared from, glowing with a ruby red light.

"Torikki-kun?"

"_Phoenix Ring!!!"_ Torikki exclaimed, a red ring of energy shooting towards the Dragoon and knocking it off balance.

"_Go for it, kid!!"_ Torikki exclaimed. Nick nodded, taking this chance to fly forward and slam his knee into the Dragoon's face, causing it to stumble forward, dazed.

Akemi was REALLY surprised. "Did Torikki-kun really just do that?"

Hitomi nodded. "I didn't even know he could do that..."

"All right, time to end this!!" Nick exclaimed, charging up an Ojamajo Arrow of Light that would hopefully end the battle quickly.

However, before Nick could launch his attack, the Dragoon dipped his destroyed hand into the lava, thus reforming it, and reached out to grab both Akemi and Utau in its grasp.

Before Nick could make a move to stop the Dragoon, it only tightened its grip on the two girls.

"I want you to make a choice, kid. Which do I kill? Your daughter? Or your little lover?"

"YOU JERK!!!" Hitomi exclaimed, ready to shoot off a Phoenix Flare.

"Ah, ah. No tricks or I kill them both. So which one is it going to be?"

Nick could only float there, not sure what to do.

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Next time:

Phase 11: Emptiness of the Starry Skies

With an ultimatum that Nick can't possibly get around, how is he going to stop the Dragoon from killing the two people who mean the most to him? It's a mystery that Hitomi may be able to solve...


	11. Emptiness of the Starry Skies

_Previously on Doerai: Dawn of the Darkness..._

"NICK!!!!" Akemi exclaimed. "LET HIM GO, YOU LAVA FREAK!!!"

The Dragoon shook his head. "I don't think so. This boy is mine."

In response to this, the Dragoon's grip on Nick tightened, as if ready to squeeze the life out of him.

Nick, however, simply grinned and shut his eyes. The seven Majokai Crystals appeared around him.

"What?!" the Dragoon exclaimed, still tightening its grip on Nick, but it was not to be, as the instant Nick disappeared from sight in the Dragoon's fist, golden energy exploded outwards, crumbling the Dragoon's hand and showing that Nick had taken the opportunity to transform into his super form, his golden hair flowing in the aura surrounding him.

Not wasting a single second, Nick flew forward, surrounding himself with energy as he crashed straight through the Dragoon's chest, flying around to where the Dragoon couldn't reach him.

"You are beginning to annoy me, boy," the Dragoon stated.

"Yeah, yeah, tell it to someone who cares!!" Nick shot back, focusing his energy.

All of a sudden, back down on solid ground, Torikki hopped out of Hitomi's arms and rushed towards the Dragoon.

"Torikki-kun, WAIT!!!" Hitomi exclaimed, fearing for her tanuki's safety.

Torikki stopped just short of the lava flows the Dragoon had appeared from, glowing with a ruby red light.

"Torikki-kun?"

"Phoenix Ring_!!!"_ Torikki exclaimed, a red ring of energy shooting towards the Dragoon and knocking it off balance.

"_Go for it, kid!!"_ Torikki exclaimed. Nick nodded, taking this chance to fly forward and slam his knee into the Dragoon's face, causing it to stumble forward, dazed.

Akemi was REALLY surprised. "Did Torikki-kun really just do that?"

Hitomi nodded. "I didn't even know he could do that..."

"All right, time to end this!!" Nick exclaimed, charging up an Ojamajo Arrow of Light that would hopefully end the battle quickly.

However, before Nick could launch his attack, the Dragoon dipped his destroyed hand into the lava, thus reforming it, and reached out to grab both Akemi and Utau in its grasp.

Before Nick could make a move to stop the Dragoon, it only tightened its grip on the two girls.

"I want you to make a choice, kid. Which do I kill? Your daughter? Or your little lover?"

"YOU JERK!!!" Hitomi exclaimed, ready to shoot off a Phoenix Flare.

"Ah, ah. No tricks or I kill them both. So which one is it going to be?"

Nick could only float there, not sure what to do.

(Footage: As the opening begins, we can see a crystal-colored bird flying across the screen.)

_Habata itara modoranai to ittte_

_(You say if you could fly, you would never come back)_

(Footage: Nick and Akemi can be seen walking towards the beach, staring towards the sun.)

_Mezashita no wa aoi, aoi ano sora_

_(You aimed for that blue, blue sky)_

(Footage: Akemi smiles brightly, leading Nick to do the same. During the instrumental, we pan into the sky as the _Doerai: Dawn of the Darkness_ logo appears on the screen.)

"_Kanashimi" wa mada oboerarezu "setsunasa" wa ima tsukami hajimeta_

_(You've yet to remember "sadness", just now began to grasp "pain")_

(Footage: Yuki and Doremi can be seen strolling down the city streets, just happy to be with each other.)

_Anata e to daku kono kanjou mo ima "kotoba" ni kawatte iku_

_(Even the feelings I held onto for you are just now turning into words)_

(Footage: Something knocks Doremi to the ground, and Yuki spins around, only to gasp in shock at what she sees.)

_Michi naru sekai no yume kara mezamete_

_(As you awaken from the dream of an unknown world)_

(Footage: A tanuki hops off of a nearby building, crossing great distances with very little effort, as if it's looking for someone...)

_Kono hane wo hiroge tobitatsu_

_(Spread your wings and take off)_

(Footage: The tanuki sees something and its face lights up. It charges forward, hopping into the arms of a girl. We can't see her features, as her upper half is obscured by the camera.)

_Habata itara modoranai to ittte_

_(You say if you could fly, you would never come back)_

(Footage: Nick and Akemi hop away from an energy attack, both holding each other's hands. They stare at each other for a second and nod.)

_Mezashita no wa aoi, aoi ano sora_

_(You aimed for that blue, blue sky)_

(Footage: A quick flash of the mysterious girl, then cut back to Nick and Akemi, both glowing with a powerful aura. After about a second, they thrust their hands forward and perform the Double Ojamajo Sparkle Screw, the silver beam of light blinding the screen.)

_Tsukinuketara mitsukaru to shitte_

_(If you break through, you know you'll find it)_

(Footage: Yuki pulls Doremi close to her to avoid a barrage of dark energy beams, nodding to the pink witch. The two join hands and begin chanting.)

_Furikiru hodo aoi, aoi ano sora_

_(So try until you break free to that blue, blue sky)_

(Footage: A quick flash of another mysterious girl, this one holding a microphone, then cut back to Yuki and Doremi, who thrust their hands into the sky to perform the Double Ojamajo Rewritten Masquerade, the massive collection of energy once again blinding the camera.)

_Aoi, aoi ano sora_

_(That blue, blue sky)_

(Footage: Quick flashes of the rest of the Ojamajos in spirit form.)

_Aoi, aoi ano sora_

_(That blue, blue sky)_

(Footage: A very familiar pair of blood-red eyes opens, the light covering the screen. When the light clears, we cut to Nick and Akemi at the beach, only this time, they're joined by Yuki and Doremi. Both couples are smiling brightly as the summer sun shines down on them.)

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(Even in the brightest light, there is always a little bit of darkness.)

**YukiShinoya444** and **S.P.D. Gold Ranger** present:

_Doerai: Dawn of the Darkness_

Story Created: November 9th, 2008

Summary: AU. In the end, there is only a new beginning. The story continues as Nick and his friends go through another set of experiences... And what of the others?

On Today's Episode: With an ultimatum that Nick can't possibly get around, how is he going to stop the Dragoon from killing the two people who mean the most to him? It's a mystery that Hitomi may be able to solve...

Authoress' Notes: This time, I will do the odds and Nick-kun will do the evens! Wai~

**Disclaimer: ...Shouldn't it be obvious by now we don't own anything?** (by **S.P.D. Gold Ranger: EXACTLY, Yuki-chan.**)

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Phase 11: Emptiness of the Starry Skies (written by **YukiShinoya444**)

Nick's glance dotted to Utau and then Akemi, trying to desperately decide what he should do.

Hitomi blinked, biting her lip as her eyes darkened with worry.

_No way will he be able to make a decision like that!!_

Torikki growled. _"Damn... Looks like the kid doesn't have much to deal with..."_

"Torikki-kun!!" his master gasped, clearly upset. "I don't want ANYONE dead right now!!"

Her tanuki perked up, his eyes glittering.

_"Maybe we don't _have_ to let them die..."_

"Huh...?"

Hitomi blinked.

"Torikki-kun... Do you got a plan?"

Torikki growled, but it seemed more like a chuckle.

_"Of course, mistress."_

Hitomi seemed surprised for a few minutes but smiled brightly, her eyes glittering as well.

"That's my Torikki-kun."

Back up in the air, Nick's gaze darted between the two girls again. Akemi's pleading gaze and Utau's obvious fear.

"N-Nick..."

"D-Dad..."

The green witch held his head, still struggling.

_No. No. NO!! I ALREADY lost Yuki-chan and Doremi-chan!! Why the hell do I have to go through this, damn it?!_

"N-Nick..." Akemi whimpered, biting her lip. "Nick... I want you..."

"I want you to save okaa-san."

"Huh?" Both Nick and Akemi stared at Utau. Their future daughter took a deep breath.

"Otou-san... I'm from the future anyway... So you'll already meet me again... I mean... kill Akemi-chan, and I disappear, too! Isn't it obvious?!"

Utau growled.

"There's no point... in keeping me while you let this thing kill okaa-san!!"

Nick's eyes widened, and the Dragoon suddenly doubled its grasp on Utau, earning her to scream in pain.

"So is this your choice? Who do you want to keep?"

"I... I..." Nick looked around, desperate to find some other way. "I... I'm not going to do that to you Utau-chan..."

Utau's eyes widened in shock. "But... Nick..."

Her sentence was cut off by Akemi's high-pitched scream, the grip on her body obviously tripled.

"AKEMI!!" Nick exclaimed, eyes wide with horror. "LEAVE HER _ALONE_!! DAMN IT, I don't CARE already! I'd rather _die_ than lose her!!"

"N-Nick..." his girlfriend whimpered weakly, wincing with pain.

The Dragoon simply laughed.

"Sadly, you're not the one to make that choice... And since you can't decide... Maybe I _should_ kill them both..."

"Don't you _dare_," Nick growled, his aura growing fiercer by the second. "Put them DOWN."

"Huh..."

Suddenly, he let out a roar of agony.

"What the hell?!"

Looking down, he saw Hitomi, beaming with obvious determination.

"I said no tricks!!" he growled. "You'll regret that, Kokoro!!"

However, before he could tighten his grip on either Utau or Akemi, there was a slash and he let out another painful roar.

Nick's gaze darted, and in the next second, Hitomi was gone. He blinked, clearly confused.

"W-What?!"

Then he saw it. Torikki carried Utau over his back while Hitomi carried Akemi. The two landed, setting down the unconsious girls.

"Living up to your name more and more by the day, Torikki-kun," Hitomi teased.

Torikki barked in agreement.

"Hiko-chan!!" Nick exclaimed, quickly landing towards them. "What... What the hell just happened?!"

"Ever the slow one, boy."

"Relax, Nick." Hitomi laughed, using his name. "It's just a little gift me and Torikki-kun have always shared. Aren't you happy I saved the two?"

Nick blinked once furiously, but let out a laugh.

"Yes... YES. Thanks a lot, Hiko-chan."

Torikki growled darkly, getting ready to pounce again.

_"AWAY from her. NOW."_

"Relax, Torikki-kun." Hitomi rolled her eyes. "Look kid, I only did it because I took pity on ya. So don't get all buddy-buddy with me, okay?"

She winked.

"Understood?"

Nick turned blank, a little confused.

_Huh...?_

"HEY!!!" the Dragoon roared. "This isn't over yet, you damned brats!!"

"Please..." Nick growled, Hitomi tilting her body to the side.

"5... 4... 3..." the brunette started.

The green witch perked up, completely confused.

"Hiko-chan, why in the world are you counting?"

"GET DOWN!!!" Torikki roared before his master could answer. Without hesistation, Hitomi slammed Nick down to the ground, her light weight a shock.

_What the...?_

Suddenly there was a boom, and the rocks began falling, covering the Dragoon.

There was one roar, and Torikki growled back.

_"Damn... it..."_

Hitomi looked up.

"He escaped, didn't he?" she asked innocently.

The tanuki let out a gruff sigh, shaking his head.

_"I'm... SO sorry, mistress..."_

"Don't worry about it," Hitomi stated, removing herself from Nick. "We all should of known..."

Torikki pawed into the ground. _"He'll be back... and we'll be ready..."_

His master nodded, smiling.

"Of course we well, Torikki-kun."

"Okay, I'M confused..." Nick groaned, reverting back to his normal form. "So the Dragoon escaped?"

Hitomi just sighed, shrugging.

"Apparently."

"Figures." Nick turned to Akemi and Utau, who were both still out cold. He laughed a bit.

"Utau-chan's going to be so disappointed."

"Don't worry." Hitomi said as she bounced to him. "You should just be glad they're still alive..."

"Yes..." Nick automatically agreed. "Thank you... Hitomi."

Hitomi merely blinked in confusion before flushing a deep crimson.

"You... You're welcome."

Suddenly Nick screamed.

"OUCH!!"

_"How many damn times..."_ Torikki growled, furious beyond belief. _"DO I HAVE TO TELL YOU TO KEEP AWAY FROM MY MISTRESS, BOY?!"_

"OW!" Nick exclaimed as Torikki bit his hand furiously again. "LET GO YOU LITTLE-"

Hitomi quickly seperated the two.

"Stop it, Torikki-kun! I was just embarassed is all! For the love of me, don't rip his hand off! He still NEEDS that!!" she exclaimed, holding back the angry tanuki. "Torikki-kun... Torikki-kun..."

Her tanuki merely growled.

_"Boy needs to learn boundaries..."_

"Look whose talking..." Nick growled back, holding up his hand, covered in blood from the tanuki's teeth. "You bite WAY too hard."

Torikki huffed.

_"Quite whining, boy. You're really getting on my nerves..."_

"That's what you said right before you bit me the first time..."

_"Can you blame me?"_

"YES!!!"

"DIDN'T I ASK YOU TWO TO FREAKING STOP ALREADY?!" Hitomi exclaimed, finally sick of it.

Nick paused, huffing. "Fine..."

Torikki looked down, still glaring at him.

_"...Fine."_

"Good, now go wake those two up, Nick."

When Nick nodded, Hitomi finally smiled.

"Great. We got a long way to go."

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"So all that happened? Awww..." Utau moaned. "Well... at least I'm still here... for the time being."

Akemi giggled. "Did you already thank Hiko-chan?"

Nick nodded, just glad that the two seemed to be normal again.

"Yes... Though Torikki-kun didn't let me get that close..."

"Huh..." Utau sighed. "Well, Torikki-kun is just obsessed with Hiko-chan is all... I mean, imagine my surprise when I found out that..."

Suddenly she broke into a stutter.

"Uhhh..."

"What's up, Utau-chan?" Nick asked, a bit confused.

"It's nothing! I meant nothing! Hey, look! We're almost there! Yipee!"

And with that, Utau rushed off.

Nick and Akemi looked at each other, confused.

"What was..."

"...Utau-chan about to say?" Akemi finished for him, blinking in confusion as she shrugged. "Something about Torikki-kun, I think. Right Nick? Hey, Nick? What's with that face?"

Nick's eyelids lowered as he made a "huh" sound.

"It's nothing, Akemi. Just a little... suspicious."

_Torikki-kun... What could that tanuki be hiding? Would Hiko-chan know... Or wouldn't she? For some reason... Now I'm a little confused about this... Utau-chan knows, but still... Hmm..._

He shook his head.

_Can't be anything too bad... right?_

"Come on Akemi, let's get going."

Akemi merely nodded as he took her hand, the two of them rushing after Utau.

But, back with Hitomi and Torikki...

_"...Mistres...?"_

Hitomi looked over, a bit confused.

"Yes, Torikki-kun?"

"It's time... isn't it?" Torikki growled, shuddering a bit.

Hitomi blinked once in confusion but frowned.

"Mistress?"

Hitomi's eyes shifted to a miserable gray. Torikki's heart skip a beat.

_"No... Don't be sad... Please, don't... I... I... I just don't want you to be sad, Hitomi."_

Hitomi perked up, brightening a little.

"It's been a while since you called me by name..."

_"Yes..."_ He seemed upset. _"My apologies, mistress."_

"No... I'm _happy_..." Hitomi smiled sadly, stroking the top of his head.

There was no response other than his suddenly heavy breathing.

"Torikki-kun..."

Hitomi's eyelids lowered and she brushed her lips to her tanuki's furry forehead.

"Don't worry... I promise I'll lift that curse... No matter what I can do..."

She held him close. Torikki's oddly colored eyes were half open and dazed.

_"Mistress..."_

He shut them, cringing into her shoulder. Hitomi sighed.

"We'll get through this..." she whispered, half to herself. "Torikki-kun, I... I..."

"I _promise_ that we will."

Torikki whimpered softly.

_"Oh, mistress Hitomi..."_

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Next time:

Phase 12: Through The Rain and Into The Mist

As the heroes' troubles continue... Nick soon realizes the true danger of his situation with the other girls, and especially Torikki, himself. Puzzled, he sets out to solve these mysteries... Maybe even with some help from an unlikely source...


	12. Through The Rain and Into The Mist

_Previously on Doerai: Dawn of the Darkness..._

"_No... Don't be sad... Please, don't... I... I... I just don't want you to be sad, Hitomi."_

Hitomi perked up, brightening a little.

"It's been a while since you called me by name..."

"_Yes..."_ He seemed upset. _"My apologies, mistress."_

"No... I'm happy..." Hitomi smiled sadly, stroking the top of his head.

There was no response other than his suddenly heavy breathing.

"Torikki-kun..."

Hitomi's eyelids lowered and she brushed her lips to her tanuki's furry forehead.

"Don't worry... I promise I'll lift that curse... No matter what I can do..."

She held him close. Torikki's oddly colored eyes were half open and dazed.

"_Mistress..."_

He shut them, cringing into her shoulder. Hitomi sighed.

"We'll get through this..." she whispered, half to herself. "Torikki-kun, I... I..."

"I promise that we will."

Torikki whimpered softly.

"_Oh, mistress Hitomi..."_

(Footage: As the opening begins, we can see a crystal-colored bird flying across the screen.)

_Habata itara modoranai to ittte_

_(You say if you could fly, you would never come back)_

(Footage: Nick and Akemi can be seen on the edge of the Burned Lands, looking into the sky towards the Floating Islands.)

_Mezashita no wa aoi, aoi ano sora_

_(You aimed for that blue, blue sky)_

(Footage: Nick stares towards the heavens, wondering if Yuki and Doremi are doing okay. During the instrumental, we pan into the sky. After about a second, Hitomi and Utau cross paths, and the Doerai: Dawn of the Darkness logo appears on the screen.)

"_Kanashimi" wa mada oboerarezu "setsunasa" wa ima tsukami hajimeta_

_(You've yet to remember "sadness", just now began to grasp "pain")_

(Footage: Hitomi can be seen walking forward with Torikki happily trotting by her side.)

_Anata e to daku kono kanjou mo ima "kotoba" ni kawatte iku_

_(Even the feelings I held onto for you are just now turning into words)_

(Footage: Torikki looks up at Hitomi with a sad look on his face. This causes Hitomi to giggle before reaching down to pet Torikki.)

_Michi naru sekai no yume kara mezamete_

_(As you awaken from the dream of an unknown world)_

(Footage: Doerai looks out over his lair, laughing softly. He then jams his staff into the ground and turns it, causing a dark energy to blind the screen.)

_Kono hane wo hiroge tobitatsu_

_(Spread your wings and take off)_

(Footage: Akemi looks skyward, her hands joined in a prayer. She then throws her arms out and smiles, and sparkling angel wings sprout from her back.)

_Habata itara modoranai to ittte_

_(You say if you could fly, you would never come back)_

(Footage: Doremi can be seen posing with her hand on her forehead. Quick cut to her performing an _Ojamajo Storming Spike_ against the Destroyer.)

_Mezashita no wa aoi, aoi ano sora_

_(You aimed for that blue, blue sky)_

(Footage: Yuki can be seen posing with her hands on her hips. Quick cut to her performing an _Ojamajo Twilight Rain_ on a collection of shadow creatures.)

_Tsukinuketara mitsukaru to shitte_

_(If you break through, you know you'll find it)_

(Footage: Akemi can be seen posing with her hands locked together. Quick cut to her performing an _Ojamajo Crystal Cannon_ against the Golem.)

_Furikiru hodo aoi, aoi ano sora_

_(So try until you break free to that blue, blue sky)_

(Footage: Nick can be seen posing with a peace sign focusing towards the camera. Quick cut to him performing an _Ojamajo Arrow of Light_ against the Dragoon.)

_Aoi, aoi ano sora_

_(That blue, blue sky)_

(Footage: Quick flash of Doerai's lair on the Floating Islands, Doerai looking downwards.)

_Aoi, aoi ano sora_

_(That blue, blue sky)_

(Footage: Cut to Nick, Akemi, Hitomi, and Utau looking up towards the Floating Islands. Quick jump cut to them racing towards the islands, their hands all intertwined, and Doerai watching from afar as the song ends.)

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(Even in the brightest light, there is always a little bit of darkness.)

**YukiShinoya444** and **S.P.D. Gold Ranger** present:

_Doerai: Dawn of the Darkness_

Story Created: November 9th, 2008

Summary: AU. In the end, there is only a new beginning. The story continues as Nick and his friends go through another set of experiences... And what of the others?

On Today's Episode: As the heroes' troubles continue... Nick soon realizes the true danger of his situation with the other girls, and especially Torikki, himself. Puzzled, he sets out to solve these mysteries... Maybe even with some help from an unlikely source...

Authoress' Notes: This time, I will do the odds and Nick-kun will do the evens! Wai~

**Disclaimer: ...Shouldn't it be obvious by now we don't own anything? **(by **S.P.D. Gold Ranger: EXACTLY, Yuki-chan.**)

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Phase 12: Through The Rain and Into The Mist

"How much further is it?" Akemi wondered.

"It shouldn't be too long now," Hitomi answered, Torikki bounding along behind her. "The Floating Islands are only about a day's walk from where we are now."

"We'd better hurry it up, then," Nick noted. "I'm not going to let Doerai spread anymore of his madness."

"_Don't say it, girl..."_ Torikki warned Akemi, knowing what she was about to say.

Akemi just nodded. "I just hope that Dragoon thing doesn't decide to pay us a visit..."

Almost as if on cue, the Dragoon popped out of the lava flows nearby, and boy, did he look mad.

"That must be my cue," the lava monster growled.

"_Didn't I tell you not to say it, girl?!"_ Torikki yelled, causing Akemi to back off.

"HEY!!!" Nick shot back. "Don't you DARE talk to my girlfriend like that!!"

"Will you two knock it off?!" Hitomi exclaimed. "We've got bigger problems right now!!"

Nick was already in battle stance, the seven Majokai Crystals spinning around him. The green witch apprentice didn't waste any time in transforming into his super form and charging for the Dragoon.

Every strike the Dragoon attempted was easily dodged or blocked by Nick, who countered by striking back every chance he could.

"Come on, boy," the Dragoon taunted. "I know this isn't your full power. You can stop holding back."

Nick perked up at this. "What exactly are you talking about?"

"You're holding back. Why not show me your full power?"

Nick growled at this. _Of course I'm holding back. My full, unrestrained power might be too much for me to handle. If I lose control of my power, I might hurt someone I love... I don't EVER want to do that to Akemi. And Mori-chan would probably find some way to punch me from the spirit world..._

"Don't be a chicken, boy. Show me your true power."

Nick looked back at Akemi, who was smiling brightly towards him. _No. I won't lose control. For her sake._

Nick turned back to the Dragoon, a wide grin on his face. "All right, then. You want my full power? Just a warning: you asked for it!!"

The Dragoon, despite his taunting, actually looked surprised at Nick's proclamation. He obviously didn't think that Nick was going to take his bait.

Hitomi seemed to pick up on the Dragoon's expression, and giggled.

Nick held his hands into the air, and the Majokai Crystals appeared around him again, all seven of the jewels glowing with an otherworldly light. Each of the seven crystals shot a beam of light into Nick, covering him in an immense rainbow glow.

When the light cleared, Akemi was the first to notice Nick's newest transformation.

"Is... is that really Nick?" Akemi wondered.

Not much had changed as to Nick's physical appearance. The only differences that could be noted was that all of Nick's now-golden hair was sticking straight up, waving in the wake of the immense energy aura surrounding him. Also, Akemi noticed that Nick's eyes had become a sharp ruby red instead of the usual emerald green that accompanied his super form.

"You wanted to see my full power, right?" Nick teased, his voice very deep now. "Just remember that I warned you."

"What happened to otou-san?" Utau wondered. "I've never seen him with this much power before!!"

"_My god..."_ Torikki growled. _"That boy was holding back this whole time..."_

"He was holding back that power?" Akemi wondered, having fallen to her knees at the immense magical pressure that Nick was radiating. "Why was he doing that?"

Not wasting a single second, Nick flew forward and smashed into the Dragoon, carving a hole through his stomach. Not content with just that, Nick performed a u-turn and slammed into the Dragoon's left hand, forcing it to collide with his right hand. Nick took this opportunity to charge forward and slice right through both of the Dragoon's hands.

"You're unarmed now, buddy," Nick joked, taking this moment to fly forward at superluminal speeds and slam his knee into the Dragoon's face, causing it to fall back.

Not wasting any time, the Dragoon reformed its hands from the lava below and reached out for the crystal witch.

"Not again..." Hitomi stated, rather exasperated.

"NICK!!!" Akemi screamed, frozen in her spot.

"Not this time!!" Nick exclaimed, flying towards the Dragoon's hands and kicking them away from his girlfriend. The emerald witch apprentice retaliated to this by firing off a supercharged Ojamajo Arrow of Light that struck the Dragoon in the eye.

"You're much more than I expected, boy, but this is where it ends."

With that, the Dragoon reached out and snatched Nick, holding him close to his evil-looking eyes.

Nick, however, wasn't scared in the least. "Shouldn't have done that, buddy."

"And why's that?"

Nick took this chance to break free of the Dragoon's grip, crumbling his hands once again. Nick then flew to the Dragoon's chest and punched as hard as he could, jamming his fist in there. Akemi was the first to notice that Nick's aura was increasing rapidly... and somehow flowing into the Dragoon from where he'd been struck.

"What's he up to?" Hitomi wondered.

Just then, everyone noticed that Nick's aura was billowing out of the Dragoon, who seemed frozen in his spot. Nick retracted his fist and brought his hands back.

Determined to finish his opponent, Nick charged forward one more time, kicking the Dragoon into the air with surprisingly little effort.

When the Dragoon started to fall back to the ground, Nick let his collected energy loose in the form of a massive aura blast that literally disintegrated the Dragoon. Hitomi could only look on in surprise, as did Akemi, but Utau acted as if she'd seen this kind of power before.

"GO, DAD!!!" Utau exclaimed.

His job done, Nick floated back to the ground with the others and disengaged his super form, only to nearly fall flat on his face in his exhaustion.

"Nick!! Oh, my god, are you all right?!" Akemi exclaimed, rushing up to catch her falling boyfriend.

"Yeah, I should be fine," Nick stated a little weakly. "Drawing on all that power just drained a lot of my energy."

"That's good," Akemi replied, leaning in to kiss Nick. "I was so worried about you for a second."

Nick nodded, returning his girlfriend's kiss, then looking over at Hitomi, Utau, and Torikki.

"By your surprised looks, I take it you've never seen me do that before?" Nick teased.

"I had no idea you were holding that kind of power back," Utau noted. "THAT WAS SO COOL!!!"

"I can't usually use that much power because I'm worried that I'll lose control and go berserk just like I did back in the Well of Souls," Nick explained. "Whenever I go super, I usually only absorb a certain amount of energy from each of the crystals so I don't overload myself. The reason I don't usually go into that form is because if I lose control of myself, I might hurt someone I love. And after everything that's happened, there's no way I'm going to let that happen again."

Hitomi couldn't help but nod in affirmation as Nick pulled Akemi close to him.

"I don't want anyone else to lose their lives in this madness," Nick explained. "Doerai's not going to have his way if there's anything I can say about it."

"Truer words have never been spoken, Nick," Akemi noted. "We're all with you until the very end."

"Now let's go find the Floating Islands and kick Doerai in the face!!" Utau exclaimed.

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"So, they actually made it to the Floating Islands."

"They're very persistent, Master Doerai," the mysterious boy stated. "I could have told you that. What shall we do about them? Should I go out and stop them?"

"No need," Doerai responded. "Let them find us, and we will take care of things ourselves."

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"Wow," Akemi stated as she gazed upon the sight that lay before them. "Guess they weren't kidding when they said they were floating."

"Gals and guy, welcome to the Floating Islands," Hitomi explained. "These hundreds of islands are all that stand between us and Doerai."

"Wait a minute, HUNDREDS?!" Nick exclaimed.

"_Be patient, boy."_

"Don't you start biting me again, Torikki-kun. I just want to know: are there REALLY that many islands here?"

"Unfortunately," Hitomi responded. "We're gonna have to split up, because all I know is that Doerai's hideout could be on any one of these islands. Let's go, okay?"

With that, all four teenagers split up and headed off to search the Floating Islands.

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Nick continued looking around, not having much luck in locating Doerai's lair. "ARGH!!! This is pointless... I'm WAY too lost..."

"_That's SO like you, Nick-kun!!"_

Nick spun around at this proclamation. There they were, clear as day.

"Doremi-chan? Yuki-chan?!"

"_Well, who did you THINK it'd be, Nick-kun?"_ Yuki giggled, her transparent form shining brightly in the sunlight that bathed the Floating Islands.

"_Ah, you haven't really changed much, even in the afterlife, Yuki-chan,"_ Doremi responded, holding the black witch close to her.

"Girls, how'd you get here?" Nick wondered.

"_Just 'cause we're dead doesn't mean we can't help you, Nick-kun!!"_ Yuki exclaimed.

"Whatever works for you two," Nick replied, only for Yuki to float over and kiss him on the cheek.

"_I figured I should say this when I had the chance. Nick-kun, I'm REALLY sorry for all those awful things I said about you. I never meant for you to get involved with all this..."_

"It's just like he said," Nick responded, being very careful to choose his words around the black witch. "Destiny can be very cruel sometimes."

"_I can see you and Akemi-chan are getting rather chummy lately,"_ Doremi giggled.

"I made a promise to Momoko that I'd protect and love Akemi, and you two know that I don't break my promises," Nick responded.

"_That's good to hear,"_ Yuki noted.

"Well, this is all well and good, but we need to find Doerai," Nick stated, his fists tightening. "I'm not going to let Doerai spread anymore of his madness."

"_The problem is, we have no idea where his lair might be,"_ Yuki stated. _"But we'd be happy to help you look, Nick-kun!!"_

"I'd like nothing better, Yuki-chan," Nick replied. "Now let's move."

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Next time:

Phase 13: Floating on Our Darkest Secrets

As the party continues to explore the Floating Islands in hopes of reaching Doerai's lair before it's too late, Nick, Yuki, and Doremi have a talk about recent events, and Akemi learns of the REAL relationship between Torikki and Hitomi...


	13. Floating on Our Darkest Secrets

_Previously on Doerai: Dawn of the Darkness..._

Nick continued looking around, not having much luck in locating Doerai's lair. "ARGH!!! This is pointless... I'm WAY too lost..."

"_That's SO like you, Nick-kun!!"_

Nick spun around at this proclamation. There they were, clear as day.

"Doremi-chan? Yuki-chan?!"

"_Well, who did you THINK it'd be, Nick-kun?"_ Yuki giggled, her transparent form shining brightly in the sunlight that bathed the Floating Islands.

"_Ah, you haven't really changed much, even in the afterlife, Yuki-chan,"_ Doremi responded, holding the black witch close to her.

"Girls, how'd you get here?" Nick wondered.

"_Just 'cause we're dead doesn't mean we can't help you, Nick-kun!!"_ Yuki exclaimed.

"Whatever works for you two," Nick replied, only for Yuki to float over and kiss him on the cheek.

"_I figured I should say this when I had the chance. Nick-kun, I'm REALLY sorry for all those awful things I said about you. I never meant for you to get involved with all this..."_

"It's just like he said," Nick responded, being very careful to choose his words around the black witch. "Destiny can be very cruel sometimes."

"_I can see you and Akemi-chan are getting rather chummy lately,"_ Doremi giggled.

"I made a promise to Momoko that I'd protect and love Akemi, and you two know that I don't break my promises," Nick responded.

"_That's good to hear,"_ Yuki noted.

"Well, this is all well and good, but we need to find Doerai," Nick stated, his fists tightening. "I'm not going to let Doerai spread anymore of his madness."

"_The problem is, we have no idea where his lair might be,"_ Yuki stated. _"But we'd be happy to help you look, Nick-kun!!"_

"I'd like nothing better, Yuki-chan," Nick replied. "Now let's move."

Nick continued looking around, not having much luck in locating Doerai's lair. "ARGH!!! This is pointless... I'm WAY too lost..."

"_That's SO like you, Nick-kun!!"_

Nick spun around at this proclamation. There they were, clear as day.

"Doremi-chan? Yuki-chan?!"

"_Well, who did you THINK it'd be, Nick-kun?"_ Yuki giggled, her transparent form shining brightly in the sunlight that bathed the Floating Islands.

"_Ah, you haven't really changed much, even in the afterlife, Yuki-chan,"_ Doremi responded, holding the black witch close to her.

"Girls, how'd you get here?" Nick wondered.

"_Just 'cause we're dead doesn't mean we can't help you, Nick-kun!!"_ Yuki exclaimed.

"Whatever works for you two," Nick replied, only for Yuki to float over and kiss him on the cheek.

"_I figured I should say this when I had the chance. Nick-kun, I'm REALLY sorry for all those awful things I said about you. I never meant for you to get involved with all this..."_

"It's just like he said," Nick responded, being very careful to choose his words around the black witch. "Destiny can be very cruel sometimes."

"_I can see you and Akemi-chan are getting rather chummy lately,"_ Doremi giggled.

"I made a promise to Momoko that I'd protect and love Akemi, and you two know that I don't break my promises," Nick responded.

"_That's good to hear,"_ Yuki noted.

"Well, this is all well and good, but we need to find Doerai," Nick stated, his fists tightening. "I'm not going to let Doerai spread anymore of his madness."

"_The problem is, we have no idea where his lair might be,"_ Yuki stated. _"But we'd be happy to help you look, Nick-kun!!"_

"I'd like nothing better, Yuki-chan," Nick replied. "Now let's move."

(Footage: As the opening begins, we can see a crystal-colored bird flying across the screen.)

_Habata itara modoranai to ittte_

_(You say if you could fly, you would never come back)_

(Footage: Nick and Akemi can be seen on the edge of the Burned Lands, looking into the sky towards the Floating Islands.)

_Mezashita no wa aoi, aoi ano sora_

_(You aimed for that blue, blue sky)_

(Footage: Nick stares towards the heavens, wondering if Yuki and Doremi are doing okay. During the instrumental, we pan into the sky. After about a second, Hitomi and Utau cross paths, and the Doerai: Dawn of the Darkness logo appears on the screen.)

"_Kanashimi" wa mada oboerarezu "setsunasa" wa ima tsukami hajimeta_

_(You've yet to remember "sadness", just now began to grasp "pain")_

(Footage: Hitomi can be seen walking forward with Torikki happily trotting by her side.)

_Anata e to daku kono kanjou mo ima "kotoba" ni kawatte iku_

_(Even the feelings I held onto for you are just now turning into words)_

(Footage: Torikki looks up at Hitomi with a sad look on his face. This causes Hitomi to giggle before reaching down to pet Torikki.)

_Michi naru sekai no yume kara mezamete_

_(As you awaken from the dream of an unknown world)_

(Footage: Doerai looks out over his lair, laughing softly. He then jams his staff into the ground and turns it, causing a dark energy to blind the screen.)

_Kono hane wo hiroge tobitatsu_

_(Spread your wings and take off)_

(Footage: Akemi looks skyward, her hands joined in a prayer. She then throws her arms out and smiles, and sparkling angel wings sprout from her back.)

_Habata itara modoranai to ittte_

_(You say if you could fly, you would never come back)_

(Footage: Doremi can be seen posing with her hand on her forehead. Quick cut to her performing an _Ojamajo Storming Spike_ against the Destroyer.)

_Mezashita no wa aoi, aoi ano sora_

_(You aimed for that blue, blue sky)_

(Footage: Yuki can be seen posing with her hands on her hips. Quick cut to her performing an _Ojamajo Twilight Rain_ on a collection of shadow creatures.)

_Tsukinuketara mitsukaru to shitte_

_(If you break through, you know you'll find it)_

(Footage: Akemi can be seen posing with her hands locked together. Quick cut to her performing an _Ojamajo Crystal Cannon_ against the Golem.)

_Furikiru hodo aoi, aoi ano sora_

_(So try until you break free to that blue, blue sky)_

(Footage: Nick can be seen posing with a peace sign focusing towards the camera. Quick cut to him performing an _Ojamajo Arrow of Light_ against the Dragoon.)

_Aoi, aoi ano sora_

_(That blue, blue sky)_

(Footage: Quick flash of Doerai's lair on the Floating Islands, Doerai looking downwards.)

_Aoi, aoi ano sora_

_(That blue, blue sky)_

(Footage: Cut to Nick, Akemi, Hitomi, and Utau looking up towards the Floating Islands. Quick jump cut to them racing towards the islands, their hands all intertwined, and Doerai watching from afar as the song ends.)

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(Even in the brightest light, there is always a little bit of darkness.)

**YukiShinoya444** and **S.P.D. Gold Ranger** present:

_Doerai: Dawn of the Darkness_

Story Created: November 9th, 2008

Summary: AU. In the end, there is only a new beginning. The story continues as Nick and his friends go through another set of experiences... And what of the others?

On Today's Episode: As the party continues to explore the Floating Islands in hopes of reaching Doerai's lair before it's too late, Nick, Yuki, and Doremi have a talk about recent events, and Akemi learns of the REAL relationship between Torikki and Hitomi...

Authoress' Notes: This time, I will do the odds and Nick-kun will do the evens! Wai~

**Disclaimer: ...Shouldn't it be obvious by now we don't own anything? **(by **S.P.D. Gold Ranger: EXACTLY, Yuki-chan.**)

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Phase 13: Floating on Our Darkest Secrets

"See anything, you two?"

_"Nope!"_ Yuki answered, standing clear in the tree to increase her view. _"How about you, Doremi-chan?"_

_"Nada, Yuki-chan!"_

"Great..." Nick groaned, pinching his nose. "Just great..."

_"Calmness, Nick-kun."_

"Is that even a word?" Nick shook his head. "Forget it. How are the others doing, Yuki-chan?"

At that Yuki's expression became blank and her transparent face seemed to get pale.

"Yuki-chan?"

A ghostly laugh escaped from the black witch and she looked down, her eyes a dull brown.

_"Why... would I be in the same place as any of them? Especially as... E-Especially as...!!"_ she wavered, twitching and shivering as she gasped.

"Yuki-chan?!" Nick reached out to shake her shoulder only to jump back from the ice cold touch. "Y-Yuki-chan?"

Doremi squeezed Yuki's hand, and she calmed down, but she was still breathing heavily, and Nick was almost sure that if she wasn't a spirit, there would be tears in her eyes.

_"No, no... It's no spirit world, really. It's more of a purgatory, I... I suppose..."_ Yuki whispered, still shaking. _"Looks like I'm too good for hell... and too terrible for..."_

A tearless sob choked her throat and she shut her eyes, whimpering.

_"Don't think his name... Don't think about him..."_ she whispered, over and over again before opening her dark eyes with an apologetic smile.

_"I'm so sorry, Nick-kun."_

"It's not your fault, Yuki-chan." Nick tried to smile back, still worried greatly. "You've got nothing to be sorry for."

_"Yes, I do. Doremi-chan should be with the others, too..."_ Yuki shook her head, tapping the ground with her foot. _"I don't really get it... I actually expected to see..."_

She winced again, but shook her head. _"Looks like I'm more stubborn to live than I give myself credit for."_

Doremi lightly tapped one of the several trees and a light glowed over her hand, forming into the shape of a dove.

_"And here, I thought I would be able to do so much more..."_

She held the little snow white bird close, stroking its delicate feathers.

_"Tell Akatsuki-kun I'm sorry..."_ she whispered before letting it go. The pink witch turned back to Nick, smiling softly.

"Better than going around and reaping the immortal soul. All the two of us need is a body."

The green witch blinked and folded his arms.

"...I'm confused."

"Alright." Yuki folded her arms, mirrioring his expression.

"Let's see what you got to say."

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_"Where are you GOING?! Wait up! WAIT UP!!"_

_"Stay back..."_

_"I told you already, I don't care! I DON'T CARE!!"_

_"I'm no good for you... I'm no good for anything."_

_"Don't say that!! I... I..."_

_"Farewell."_

_"WAIT!!"_

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Hitomi looked up, Torikki growling lightly.

"What was that?"

_"Mistress? What's wrong?"_

"Oh..." Hitomi blinked twice before laughing lightly to herself. "It's nothing, Torikki-kun... At least, I mean... I... I think it's nothing, after all..."

_"Milady..."_

"Ah..." Hitomi smiled brightly, letting the wind toss her hair to the north. "Feel that, Torikki-kun? The wind's always comforting... Playfully blowing at your back... Drying the tears that you shed... _It's always there_!!"

With that, the young mistress pushed herself forward at a sprint, Torikki quickly at her side.

"Amazing, isn't it?!"

Torikki growled playfully.

_"Almost as much as your smile, mistress."_

His master laughed, a musical and melodic sound.

"You never change!!" she giggled, flicking her bells with a jingle. "Thank you, Torikki-kun!"

_"Your wish, my command."_

Hitomi laughed again, throwing her arms up in the air.

"I feel so _happy_!!"

What a wonderful feeling...!!

Unknowist to her, the expression of her tanuki shifted, and he shook with a growl.

_It's a damn ruse..._ he thought bitterly, still growling. _It's all a damn ruse..._

_Mistress..._

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"Say... Utau-chan? I've always wondered something..."

"Sure, Mom. What is it?"

"Well..." Akemi fiddled with her fingers as the two continued their walk and search. "What is...?"

Utau tilted her head, a bit confused.

"Yes, Akemi-chan?"

"What is the real deal about Hitomi-chan and Torikki-kun? I know he's her pet, but still... Ur..." Akemi flinched, blushing as she looked over.

_Sheesh... I feel so insecure... Like I'm a little kid who's the new girl at school all over again... But even than... When I had Moriko-chan by my side-!!_

"Akemi-chan."

"Huh?"

Akemi looked up and lightly gasped.

"U... Utau-chan?!"

Utau's expression was blank, as if possessed.

"Torikki-kun... is much more to Hiko-chan than as her pet... Akemi-chan..."

"Eh?" Akemi blinked, her expression completely comfused as well as curious. "Explain."

Utau sighed, throwing her arms behind her head.

"From what I understand, actually... Torikki-kun's under a curse. A bad one. He's bound to Hiko-chan... _Hitomi-chan_, I mean... in that particular manner."

"Really?" Akemi's eyes gleamed as she frowned.

"But... what does Hitomi-chan have to do with any of this, Utau-chan? I mean, poor Torikki-kun... What does the curse even do? Is his life numbered or something? I mean, is he...?"

"Don't make up explanations like that!!" Utau exclaimed, shock crossing her face. "I'm not exactly supposed to be telling this to you, ya know!!"

"Huh?"

The crystal witch shook her head.

"Utau-chan..."

_What is she trying to even say?! What about Torikki-kun?! What about Hitomi-chan?! G-Gosh... I don't understand any of this! I don't get it at all!!_

Utau dropped her eyes.

"I'm sorry. But that's all I really know..."

Akemi blinked, confused.

"Utau-chan..."

"_Really_!! It is!"

"No..." her future mother shook her head again, frowning. "I... I wasn't necessarily accusing you of anything, Utau-chan.... I really wasn't."

"Oh..." Utau whistled before laughing. "I'm acting weird, aren't I? Am I, really?"

Akemi say no point to denying it, so she just weakly nodded her head, her shoulders drooped.

Utau laughed again, but the sound was nervous.

"Who... Who woulda thought, huh?"

The crystal witch just shrugged.

"Yeah, I suppose..." Utau whispered, answering an unspoken question. "That's just the way that things are... Oh, well... I can't really help that now can I?"

Akemi shook her head.

"No."

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_"Don't you understand anything?!"_

_"N-No! I... I..."_

_"Leave me alone!"_

_"OW! That hurts, let go!! Please let go!"_

_"..!!!"_

_"I... I'm sorry. I'm so sorry..."_

_"You... Why are you the one saying sorry? Heck, I should be the one saying that!! Look at you!"_

_"None of this would have happened if you..."_

_"You got nothing to be sorry for."_

_"Are you sure about that?"_

_"Yes... Yes I am."_

_"Liar."_

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Yuki whistled as she took in Nick's story.

_"Damn... We miss all the good things... Ah well..."_

"What about you two?" Nick asked, a smile twitching at his lips.

_"Nothing much."_ Doremi hummed, tilting her head to the side. _"No offense, Nick... But I think we're not really dead, I mean... Who knows?"_

_"...Maybe."_ Yuki muttered, twirling around a lock of Doremi's ruby red hair. _"You never know. But I... I don't like this spiritual life, you know..."_

Nick made a "huh" sound and continued forward.

"Where's the base anyway?"

_"Silly Nick-kun..."_ the black witch laughed weakly, joining hands with Doremi as the two of them began to fade away. _"Do you really think it'll be that easy? It's only begun... The real adventure, you know... I can feel it."_

"Huh?" Nick reached out again, but they were gone.

"Yuki-chan?! DOREMI-CHAN?!"

_"Nick?"_ a musical voice came out, making him instantly turn around, his eyes wide.

"Momoko..."

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"Well!"

Hitomi landed on the rock, kicking up the dust with her free foot. "That sure was energizing!"

She grinned, placing her hands on her cheeks.

"My heart is racing with the excitement! I feel so free! I haven't felt this great in years!"

She let out a sigh of relief.

_Of course..._

She turned to her side with a grin.

"Don't you agree, Torikki-kun?"

When she got no reply, she popped her eyes open, shifting from a bright pink to a dark brown.

"To...Torikki-kun?"

Her eyes widened, turning a sickly shade of gray.

_No... No!!_

"TORIKKI-KUN?!" she called out, horror filling up her entire self. "TORIKKI-KUN?!?! WHERE ARE YOU?!"

The young mistress looked around desperately, hoping to catch even a glance of her tanuki.

"No... No... No..."

Hitomi's eyes filled up with tears, her eyes turning duller and duller. "Please, no..." she begged herself. "Please... Please... Oh... Oh, God... No..."

_Torikki-kun... Torikki-kun..._

With that, she threw her head up into the sky, and screamed out his name.

"TORIKKI-KUN!!"

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Next time:

Phase 14: If I Say Your Name Again, Please...

Distraught and abandoned, Hitomi looks around desperately for her precious Torikki, but with no hope. Meanwhile, with the help of his old lover, Nick is able to learn some more about Doerai's return... But then has to deal with a curse he never thought possible when disaster strikes Akemi and Utau... And when even he can't prevent what will happen...


	14. If I Say Your Name Again, Please

_Previously on Doerai: Dawn of the Darkness..._

"Well!"

Hitomi landed on the rock, kicking up the dust with her free foot. "That sure was energizing!"

She grinned, placing her hands on her cheeks.

"My heart is racing with the excitement! I feel so free! I haven't felt this great in years!"

She let out a sigh of relief.

_Of course..._

She turned to her side with a grin.

"Don't you agree, Torikki-kun?"

When she got no reply, she popped her eyes open, shifting from a bright pink to a dark brown.

"To... Torikki-kun?"

Her eyes widened, turning a sickly shade of gray.

_No... No!!_

"TORIKKI-KUN?!" she called out, horror filling up her entire self. "TORIKKI-KUN?!?! WHERE ARE YOU?!"

The young mistress looked around desperately, hoping to catch even a glance of her tanuki.

"No... No... No..."

Hitomi's eyes filled up with tears, her eyes turning duller and duller. "Please, no..." she begged herself. "Please... Please... Oh... Oh, God... No..."

_Torikki-kun... Torikki-kun..._

With that, she threw her head up into the sky, and screamed out his name.

"TORIKKI-KUN!!"

(Footage: As the opening begins, we can see a crystal-colored bird flying across the screen.)

_Habata itara modoranai to ittte_

_(You say if you could fly, you would never come back)_

(Footage: Nick and Akemi can be seen on the edge of the Burned Lands, looking into the sky towards the Floating Islands.)

_Mezashita no wa aoi, aoi ano sora_

_(You aimed for that blue, blue sky)_

(Footage: Nick stares towards the heavens, wondering if Yuki and Doremi are doing okay. During the instrumental, we pan into the sky. After about a second, Hitomi and Utau cross paths, and the Doerai: Dawn of the Darkness logo appears on the screen.)

"_Kanashimi" wa mada oboerarezu "setsunasa" wa ima tsukami hajimeta_

_(You've yet to remember "sadness", just now began to grasp "pain")_

(Footage: Hitomi can be seen walking forward with Torikki happily trotting by her side.)

_Anata e to daku kono kanjou mo ima "kotoba" ni kawatte iku_

_(Even the feelings I held onto for you are just now turning into words)_

(Footage: Torikki looks up at Hitomi with a sad look on his face. This causes Hitomi to giggle before reaching down to pet Torikki.)

_Michi naru sekai no yume kara mezamete_

_(As you awaken from the dream of an unknown world)_

(Footage: Doerai looks out over his lair, laughing softly. He then jams his staff into the ground and turns it, causing a dark energy to blind the screen.)

_Kono hane wo hiroge tobitatsu_

_(Spread your wings and take off)_

(Footage: Akemi looks skyward, her hands joined in a prayer. She then throws her arms out and smiles, and sparkling angel wings sprout from her back.)

_Habata itara modoranai to ittte_

_(You say if you could fly, you would never come back)_

(Footage: Doremi can be seen posing with her hand on her forehead. Quick cut to her performing an Ojamajo Storming Spike against the Destroyer.)

_Mezashita no wa aoi, aoi ano sora_

_(You aimed for that blue, blue sky)_

(Footage: Yuki can be seen posing with her hands on her hips. Quick cut to her performing an _Ojamajo Twilight Rain_ on a collection of shadow creatures.)

_Tsukinuketara mitsukaru to shitte_

_(If you break through, you know you'll find it)_

(Footage: Akemi can be seen posing with her hands locked together. Quick cut to her performing an Ojamajo Crystal Cannon against the Golem.)

_Furikiru hodo aoi, aoi ano sora_

_(So try until you break free to that blue, blue sky)_

(Footage: Nick can be seen posing with a peace sign focusing towards the camera. Quick cut to him performing an Ojamajo Arrow of Light against the Dragoon.)

_Aoi, aoi ano sora_

_(That blue, blue sky)_

(Footage: Quick flash of Doerai's lair on the Floating Islands, Doerai looking downwards.)

_Aoi, aoi ano sora_

_(That blue, blue sky)_

(Footage: Cut to Nick, Akemi, Hitomi, and Utau looking up towards the Floating Islands. Quick jump cut to them racing towards the islands, their hands all intertwined, and Doerai watching from afar as the song ends.)

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(Even in the brightest light, there is always a little bit of darkness.)

**YukiShinoya444** and **S.P.D. Gold Ranger **present:

_Doerai: Dawn of the Darkness_

Story Created: November 9th, 2008

Summary: AU. In the end, there is only a new beginning. The story continues as Nick and his friends go through another set of experiences... And what of the others?

On Today's Episode: Distraught and abandoned, Hitomi looks around desperately for her precious Torikki, but with no hope. Meanwhile, with the help of his old lover, Nick is able to learn some more about Doerai's return... But then has to deal with a curse he never thought possible when disaster strikes Akemi and Utau... And when even he can't prevent what will happen...

Authoress' Notes: This time, I will do the odds and Nick-kun will do the evens! Wai~

**Disclaimer: ...Shouldn't it be obvious by now we don't own anything?** (by **S.P.D. Gold Ranger: EXACTLY, Yuki-chan.**)

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Phase 14: If I Say Your Name Again, Please...

Hitomi looked around frantically for her missing tanuki, and not having much luck.

"TORIKKI-KUN!!!" Hitomi screamed, tears flowing from her eyes. "TORIKKI-KUN, PLEASE ANSWER ME!!!"

"What's the matter, Hitomi-chan?!" Akemi exclaimed, having heard Hitomi's distraught screaming and racing over with Utau.

"Torikki-kun's gone!!" Hitomi responded. "I can't find him anywhere!!!"

Akemi's eyes widened considerably. "WHAT?! You think Doerai might have captured him?"

"He'd better not have, because I swear to God, if he does anything to my precious Torikki-kun..." Hitomi growled, her eyes turning a sharp red.

_Please be all right, Torikki-kun, _Hitomi thought._ I love you so much... I wouldn't want anything to happen to you..._

Just then, however...

"_Lumen Nebulae!!"_

Akemi was the only one who recognized that call, having seen the attack in the last battle with Doerai back in their time.

What scared Akemi even more was the dark circle she saw forming around Hitomi.

"HITOMI-CHAN, WATCH OUT!!!!" Akemi screamed, rushing forward and shoving Hitomi away from the dark circle.

"What's wrong, mommy?" Utau exclaimed, rushing up to her future mother, only to have the dark circle around them explode into a mass of dark energy that slashed mercilessly at the two girls until they fell unconscious.

Before Hitomi could even make a move, she noticed that the unconscious Akemi and Utau had been enveloped in a dark light and vanished.

"NO!! This isn't good... things just keep getting worse..." Hitomi stated to nobody in particular as she rushed off to find Nick.

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"Momoko... well, I saw Yuki-chan and Doremi-chan here. Should I really be surprised?" Nick teased.

"_It's good to see that you're still doing all right, Nick,"_ Momoko answered. _"I haven't seen you in a while..."_

"I wish I could say the same thing, Momoko," Nick noted, looking out over the Floating Islands. "It seems like every step we take is followed by a disaster. First there was the Golem, then the Destroyer, and now Yuki-chan and Doremi-chan are gone... And we don't have much time left before the Belt of Fire does us all in..."

"_Relax, Nick,"_ Momoko stated, letting her hands rest on Nick's shoulders. _"You've got more than enough time to finish off Doerai. I believe in you, and I always have."_

"There's something I've been wondering," Nick suddenly remembered. "How the hell is Doerai even back in the first place? I KNOW I cut him in half the last we met, and no one usually survives that."

"_Do you remember the Well of Souls, Nick?"_ Momoko explained.

Nick simply nodded, not wanting to relive that memory one bit.

"_After you and the girls disappeared from the present time, someone had fallen to the darkness and learned of Doerai's power. He somehow knew that the Well of Souls had just enough energy..."_

"...to resurrect Doerai," Nick finished.

"_Doerai quickly took over after you and the girls vanished. Everyone who knew of your efforts assumed you had died when Doerai started his empire."_

"So THAT'S why Hunter was acting like that," Nick noticed.

Momoko stuttered a bit before continuing. _"Um... Nick, there's something I have to tell you about Hunter..."_

The ex-yellow witch was interrupted when Hitomi raced onto the scene, looking like she'd just gone through hell and lived to tell the story.

"Hitomi-chan? What's the matter?" Nick wondered.

Quickly finding her voice, Hitomi pointed to where she had just come from. "Torikki-kun's gone!!! And Doerai's captured Akemi-chan and Utau-chan!!!"

Nick immediately perked up at this. "WHAT?!! Doerai's got Akemi AND my daughter?!"

Nick turned to his old girlfriend. "Momoko, I've gotta go."

Momoko just smiled. _"I know, Nick. You just do your best, okay?"_

"As I always do," Nick stated, to which Momoko couldn't help but giggle.

"_Nick? I love you. I always will. No matter who you fall for in the future, I'll always love you,"_ Momoko stated.

Nick nodded. "I feel the same way, Momoko. I'll keep my promise. I can assure you that."

With that, Momoko kissed Nick on the cheek before fading away.

"_Doerai's lair is just ahead, Nick. Good luck."_

Nick looked over to a nearby island, and sure enough, there was Doerai's lair, plain as day.

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"So, they arrive soon. What shall we do, Master?"

"I can take care of the brats. Once they are out of the way, nothing will stop me."

"Understood, Master. Just remember to call me if you need any assistance."

"Rest assured that I will."

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Nick and Hitomi stared onwards. This was it. All that separated them from their final fight was a gigantic double door with ancient writings engraved on it.

Nick looked over at the shivering Hitomi. "This is it, Hitomi-chan. You ready for this?"

Hitomi just stared on, her eyes a dull gray. "Nick... I'm scared..."

Nick reached out and squeezed Hitomi's hand reassuringly. "Just stay close to me, okay? Don't worry. We'll get Torikki-kun back."

Hitomi smiled, reaching over to peck Nick on the cheek as they walked forward, the doors automatically opening for them.

The two looked around as the doors closed behind them. No points for interior decorating, Nick thought. As he looked ahead, he noticed that Doerai was standing on a pillar at the opposite end of the room, with the unconscious Akemi and Utau behind him, though Nick and Hitomi couldn't see them because of a spell that Doerai had put in place.

The dark prophet smirked upon seeing Nick and Hitomi approach. "Ah. At long last, my guests have arrived. Please, come in."

Doerai summoned his staff and slowly began walking towards Nick and Hitomi. "Such determination to get here. It seems we share other qualities beside that of our magical abilities."

Nick shook his head. "Don't give me that. I'm NOTHING like you!!"

Doerai just snickered softly, circling Nick and Hitomi. "Do you think so? Hmm... we'll get to that."

"Don't listen to this little bastard, Nick," Hitomi stated. "Don't listen to anything he says."

"You look so weary," Doerai noted. "Allow me to make you more comfortable."

With that, both Nick and Hitomi shined with a bright light, thus healing all the wounds they had taken over the past couple days.

"There, that's better, isn't it? It's the least I could do for you, Kokoro," Doerai stated, not once losing his cool. "After all, you've done so much for me."

Hitomi flinched at this.

"I'll just bet that you were the one who cursed Torikki-kun," Nick growled. "You've been using her this whole time, haven't you?!"

"I used her, she used you," Doerai countered. "What does it matter, really?"

"What are you talking about?" Nick shot back.

"What?" Doerai wondered. "He doesn't know, Kokoro? Go on, tell him. You mustn't leave him in the dark."

"Tell me what?" Nick responded, still on the defensive.

"How I lured her to the Well of Souls, how she was tricked into freeing me," Doerai answered.

"You're lying!!" Hitomi shot back.

"Hmm... I find it peculiar... how you've chosen to remember things, Kokoro," Doerai noted. "But perhaps you all need a little nudge."

With that, Doerai's eyes shined with a bright light, and Akemi appeared in front of Nick... but she didn't look like the Akemi he knew. She was completely covered in dark energy, her eyes pupil-less pools of light.

"Akemi!! NO!!!" Nick exclaimed.

"The princess should have warned you," Doerai mocked. "You are alone here, young boy. You have always been alone."

Doerai laughed evilly. "Still, here you are, so desperately trying to save this miserable world, refusing to accept the true role of the prophets..."

While Doerai was talking, Akemi had spun around and struck Nick with a spinning kick, knocking the green witch into the wall.

"I'm sure Hunter has told you that I was the first of our kind," Doerai explained. "But I assure you, there have been many."

Doerai continued as Akemi approached Nick again. "It has been the duty of our predecessors to resurrect the Destroyer and the Golems of the deep in order to bring about the great cleansing. This is the true nature of our kind. Your destiny is to destroy the world."

Akemi had just slammed Nick into the wall again, but still he stood. "No!! I don't believe you!!" Nick screamed, refusing to believe what Doerai was saying.

"Of course you don't," Doerai responded. "But you have fulfilled your destiny nonetheless. In your time, I was stopped... prevented from completing my task... but you have carried the flame, be it through your own will or not. And soon, the world will be destroyed, you along with it."

"No..." Nick stated, only to have Akemi swing her fist and send Nick crashing back into the wall.

"_Fight back!!"_ Akemi exclaimed in a distorted voice as Doerai's mocking laughter echoed throughout the area. _"Why won't you fight back?!"_

Nick looked at his girlfriend sadly. "Because you've left me nothing to fight for."

Akemi perked up at this, the darkness around her clearing away. A bright smile was stamped on her face.

"There's always something," Akemi stated, reaching over to embrace her boyfriend.

"I love you, Nick."

"I love you, too, Akemi."

"HEY!!! Don't leave me out of the fight!!" Utau exclaimed, rushing up to the three. "I want to show my dad that I'm not just a pretty face!!"

"You know I've got your backs," Hitomi stated, her eyes a bright strawberry.

"Argh... so be it, then," Doerai growled, his staff at the ready. "You've all made your choice and so you shall all suffer the same fate!!"

Nick and the girls tensed up, ready for action.

"PREPARE TO DIE!!!" Doerai exclaimed, floating into the air and towards the blood-red skies above.

Nick and Akemi wasted no time in pulling out the Majokai Crystals and transforming into their super forms. Then, they motioned for Hitomi and Utau to come closer, and as they did, the couple spread their arms out, channeling their power into Hitomi and Utau.

The two began glowing with a bright light, coming out in their own super forms.

Utau's hair had changed from yellow to a bright emerald green (though she kept her crystal highlights), and her eyes became golden yellow.

Hitomi's hair had spiked up and changed from brown to a majestic sapphire, and her eyes seemed to sparkle with all the colors of the rainbow.

Nick and Akemi just nodded. They knew what they had to do.

Together, the four supercharged teenagers shot into the sky after Doerai, who was waiting for them.

The final battle was at hand...

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Next time:

Phase 15: Call My Name When the Angels Cry

At long last, the final battle for the fate of the world has begun!! As Nick, Akemi, Hitomi, and Utau engage Doerai in mortal combat, Hitomi continues to worry about Torikki, until said tanuki makes quite the surprising appearance, sporting powers even Doerai didn't know about...


	15. Call My Name When the Angels Cry

_Previously on Doerai: Dawn of the Darkness..._

"_Fight back!!" _Akemi exclaimed in a distorted voice as Doerai's mocking laughter echoed throughout the area. _"Why won't you fight back?!"_

Nick looked at his girlfriend sadly. "Because you've left me nothing to fight for."

Akemi perked up at this, the darkness around her clearing away. A bright smile was stamped on her face.

"There's always something," Akemi stated, reaching over to embrace her boyfriend.

"I love you, Nick."

"I love you, too, Akemi."

"HEY!!! Don't leave me out of the fight!!" Utau exclaimed, rushing up to the three. "I want to show my dad that I'm not just a pretty face!!"

"You know I've got your backs," Hitomi stated, her eyes a bright strawberry.

"Argh... so be it, then," Doerai growled, his staff at the ready. "You've all made your choice and so you shall all suffer the same fate!!"

Nick and the girls tensed up, ready for action.

"PREPARE TO DIE!!!" Doerai exclaimed, floating into the air and towards the blood-red skies above.

Nick and Akemi wasted no time in pulling out the Majokai Crystals and transforming into their super forms. Then, they motioned for Hitomi and Utau to come closer, and as they did, the couple spread their arms out, channeling their power into Hitomi and Utau.

The two began glowing with a bright light, coming out in their own super forms.

Utau's hair had changed from yellow to a bright emerald green (though she kept her crystal highlights), and her eyes became golden yellow.

Hitomi's hair had spiked up and changed from brown to a majestic sapphire, and her eyes seemed to sparkle with all the colors of the rainbow.

Nick and Akemi just nodded. They knew what they had to do.

Together, the four supercharged teenagers shot into the sky after Doerai, who was waiting for them.

The final battle was at hand...

(Footage: As the opening begins, we can see a crystal-colored bird flying across the screen.)

_Habata itara modoranai to ittte_

_(You say if you could fly, you would never come back)_

(Footage: Nick and Akemi can be seen on the edge of the Burned Lands, looking into the sky towards the Floating Islands.)

_Mezashita no wa aoi, aoi ano sora_

_(You aimed for that blue, blue sky)_

(Footage: Nick stares towards the heavens, wondering if Yuki and Doremi are doing okay. During the instrumental, we pan into the sky. After about a second, Hitomi and Utau cross paths, and the _Doerai: Dawn of the Darkness_ logo appears on the screen.)

"_Kanashimi" wa mada oboerarezu "setsunasa" wa ima tsukami hajimeta_

_(You've yet to remember "sadness", just now began to grasp "pain")_

(Footage: Hitomi can be seen walking forward with Torikki happily trotting by her side.)

_Anata e to daku kono kanjou mo ima "kotoba" ni kawatte iku_

_(Even the feelings I held onto for you are just now turning into words)_

(Footage: Torikki looks up at Hitomi with a sad look on his face. This causes Hitomi to giggle before reaching down to pet Torikki.)

_Michi naru sekai no yume kara mezamete_

_(As you awaken from the dream of an unknown world)_

(Footage: Doerai looks out over his lair, laughing softly. He then jams his staff into the ground and turns it, causing a dark energy to blind the screen.)

_Kono hane wo hiroge tobitatsu_

_(Spread your wings and take off)_

(Footage: Akemi looks skyward, her hands joined in a prayer. She then throws her arms out and smiles, and sparkling angel wings sprout from her back.)

_Habata itara modoranai to ittte_

_(You say if you could fly, you would never come back)_

(Footage: Doremi can be seen posing with her hand on her forehead. Quick cut to her performing an _Ojamajo Storming Spike_ against the Destroyer.)

_Mezashita no wa aoi, aoi ano sora_

_(You aimed for that blue, blue sky)_

(Footage: Yuki can be seen posing with her hands on her hips. Quick cut to her performing an _Ojamajo Twilight Rain_ on a collection of shadow creatures.)

_Tsukinuketara mitsukaru to shitte_

_(If you break through, you know you'll find it)_

(Footage: Akemi can be seen posing with her hands locked together. Quick cut to her performing an _Ojamajo Crystal Cannon _against the Golem.)

_Furikiru hodo aoi, aoi ano sora_

_(So try until you break free to that blue, blue sky)_

(Footage: Nick can be seen posing with a peace sign focusing towards the camera. Quick cut to him performing an _Ojamajo Arrow of Light_ against the Dragoon.)

_Aoi, aoi ano sora_

_(That blue, blue sky)_

(Footage: Quick flash of Doerai's lair on the Floating Islands, Doerai looking downwards.)

_Aoi, aoi ano sora_

_(That blue, blue sky)_

(Footage: Cut to Nick, Akemi, Hitomi, and Utau looking up towards the Floating Islands. Quick jump cut to them racing towards the islands, their hands all intertwined, and Doerai watching from afar as the song ends.)

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(Even in the brightest light, there is always a little bit of darkness.)

**YukiShinoya444** and **S.P.D. Gold Ranger **present:

_Doerai: Dawn of the Darkness_

Story Created: November 9th, 2008

Summary: AU. In the end, there is only a new beginning. The story continues as Nick and his friends go through another set of experiences... And what of the others?

On Today's Episode: At long last, the final battle for the fate of the world has begun!! As Nick, Akemi, Hitomi, and Utau engage Doerai in mortal combat, Hitomi continues to worry about Torikki, until said tanuki makes quite the surprising appearance, sporting powers even Doerai didn't know about...

Authoress' Notes: This time, I will do the odds and Nick-kun will do the evens! Wai~

**Disclaimer: ...Shouldn't it be obvious by now we don't own anything?** (by **S.P.D. Gold Ranger: EXACTLY, Yuki-chan.**)

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Phase 15: Call My Name When the Angels Cry

_"HEEEYYY!!"_

_"Huh? Why are you running so fast?"_

_"I-I wanted to see you is all..."_

_"No, no... That's not right... It's impossible for us... Don't you see?"_

_"Are you kidding me? No!"_

_"I don't know what I would ever do if I hurt you..."_

_"It's okay. You won't. What the worst that could happen?"_

_"You really shouldn't say that... Hitomi."_

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"So Doremi-chan sent you, huh...?"

Akatsuki grinned, stroking the side of the dove, watching the delicate bird ruffle its feathers.

_But if she had..._

His eyelids lowered.

"I may be too late... But..."

He held out his hand, a sphere of light blue energy forming in the center of his palm.

"Fly to where the soul faltered..." he murmured, letting the energy absorb into the bird. "Fly to where... the wind leads you."

The bird nodded its head and flapped its wings, taking off as far as it could.

At that, the prince's smile twisted a bit.

"Saiki-kun... You'll help, won't you?"

The was a laugh in the wind itself, gentle as the breeze.

_"Of course, Onii-chan."_

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"Wow!!" Utau exclaimed as the dodged one of the rocks. "I've never flown so fast before!!"

Nick just laughed at this.

"You'll get used to it, Utau-chan."

Utau beamed.

"Thanks, dad."

Akemi nodded.

_That's right... with all four of us... Doerai's going down! There's no doubt about it!!_

Hitomi perked up to Doerai's laughter in the distance, and her eyelids lowered, her rainbow eyes glittering like diamonds.

_Torikki-kun... For what this guy did to you... to us... to Akemi-chan... to the princess and Doremi-chan, too... No way am I gonna lose to him!!_

A smirk twisted at her lips.

_Quite the opposite, my dear Torikki-kun..._

Nick grimaced himself.

_To think, it's come to this..._

_Momoko... Everyone... No way am I gonna let you down!!_

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_"Torikki-kun... Torikki-kun... Torikki-kun..."_

Torikki struggled as he strained to lean himself against the tree, his entire body feeling as if he were engulfed in flames.

_"Torikki-kun..."_ Hitomi's angelic voice repeated in his head, sending his mind in a whirl. _"Torikki-kun... I love you. I'll wait for you to be back to normal... It'll be just the two of us!"_

The beautiful delusion giggled.

_"Just the two of us... Together... forever..."_

Torikki closed his ruby red eye, his emerald green one sparkling.

_"Torikki-kun... Don't go... I'll miss you..."_

_"Hito...mi..."_ he growled, still struggling to stand. _"Hitomi... Hitomi... Hitomi..."_

He huffed, breath in his throat as his chest rumbled.

_"Torikki-kun... I don't know what I'll do without you..."_

Hitomi's smile flashed in his mind, her eyes a beautiful shade of cherry pink.

_"Torikki-kun..."_

Torikki shook his head, mind in a whirl.

_"Hitomi... My beloved mistress... What can I do? My time is running out..."_

His differently colored eyes closed in pain, and his muzzle tightened.

Hitomi's face came back to him, but her eyes were a dark blue, sparkling with tears.

_"Please Torikki-kun..."_ she begged in his memory. _"Please don't leave me... Wherever you are... That's good enough..."_

He then snarled.

_"Despicable... I still think of her like that..."_

He stumbled over his paws as he continued, every ounce of him sore.

_"It hurts... It hurts..."_

_"You poor thing,"_a voice in the wind whispered, Momoko appearing before him.

Torikki looked up, confused.

_"W-Who..."_

_"She's a friend of Nick-kun's..."_Yuki's voice answered, appearing with Doremi at her side.

_"P-Princess... The odango girl..."_

_"Or... old lover, I should say."_Yuki corrected herself. _"Hey Momo-chan."_

_"Am I glad to see you,"_Momoko returned, beaming a bit. _"See Yuki-chan? He was right about you."_

Yuki smiled back, but winced.

Torikki looked between the two spirits.

_"Princess Yuki... Explain."_

_"Saiki-kun explained... He knows the curse you're under..."_Momoko started, before bowing her head. _"I'm here to say that you mustn't lose hope... Hitomi-chan needs you."_

Torikki perked up, as if the name were a life boat, pulling him to safety.

_"Hitomi..."_

_"Momo-chan..."_Yuki's voice was strangled, as if threatening to break into several particles.

Doremi comfortingly patted her shoulder. _"Don't worry, Yuki-chan."_

Momoko turned to the two, and smiled.

_"You two got somewhere you need to be."_

_"H-Huh?"_ was all that came out before the two of them started to glow a bright blue. _"W-What?!"_

Torikki eyes widened but he laughed.

_"Looks like the older prince does have the same powers as my mistress Hitomi does... Only much more powerful. Never thought I'd live to see that."_

_"B-B-But..."_

The couple disappeared, their faces still alight with shock.

Momoko smiled at Torikki.

_"Well little tanuki, go save the girl you love."_

The tanuki growled, but it wasn't in anger.

_"I owe ya."_

_"Just don't bite Nick so hard, okay?"_

_"Now THAT'S not something I can promise, but... I promise not to get so much blood."_

With that, Torikki huffed and rushed off.

Momoko smiled once more, and vanished.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

"Damn it Doerai, WHERE ARE YOU?!" Nick exclaimed, growling as he burst through the several obstacles.

"Coward..." Utau hissed, shaking her head.

"Dad, we need to continue!!"

"Couldn't have said it better myself, Utau-chan!!"

Utau grinned.

Akemi took a deep breath.

_But still, it's no secret that we need a plan..._

She looked at Hitomi.

_Hitomi-chan... Still looks a little tense._

She quickly smiled.

_But I just know we can do it!!_

"_The bow and string of a determined boy, take this!! Ojamajo Arrow of Light!!"_

Doerai dodged the attack, smirking.

"Is that the best you got?!"

Hitomi gulped, and Nick and Akemi joined hands, nodding at the other.

"_Spirits of the earth..."_ Nick chanted, his hand tightening around Akemi's.

"_Spirits of the stars...."_Akemi continued, glowing with a silver aura.

"_Lend us your wills and give up the power to grant a miracle!! Our beautiful souls shall crush your dark heart!!"_ they both exclaimed, the force around them becoming tense.

"_Double Ojamajo Sparkle Screw!!"_

Doerai winced from the attack, growling. "Stupid brats..."

Utau beamed.

"We got him on the ropes, now!!"

Hitomi suddenly frowned.

_But... Where's my Torikki-kun?_

Suddenly the area around them began shaking, surprising all of them.

"W-Wha?"

"Everyone, scatter!!" Hitomi exclaimed, shock crossing her features. "This is ANYTHING but good!"

Doerai smirked.

"Very well, then..."

Just then...

"_Not on my watch, Doerai!!_ _Phoenix Ring!!"_

A red ring knocked Doerai off balance, and he huffed.

"You just don't give up, you annoying little tanuki..."

Hitomi gasped with surprised and brightened up entirely.

"T-Torikki-kun!!"

Torikki snarled at the dark prophet before leaping into his master's arms.

"Torikki-kun... Stupid fool! You weren't supposed to run off!!" she laughed, eyes bright rainbow with relief.

"_Forgive me, mistress Hitomi."_

"Forgiven." The brunette deducted, beaming. "Now, would you mind?"

Her tanuki nodded, hopping down with a firm stance.

Nick stared at him, a bit uncertain.

"Torikki-kun..."

"_Kid, this ain't the time to be worried about me..."_ he growled in response before appearing to chuckle. _"Let me show you something..."_

Nick's eyes widen at the crimson red aura that emitted out of Torikki.

_What...?_

"That's my boy!!" Hitomi exclaimed, beaming.

Doerai seemed a bit confused, and Utau gasped.

"_Phoenix Ring!!"_Torikki exclaimed, unleashing another attack on Doerai, successfully pushing him back some.

Hitomi quickly scooped up Torikki. "Alright, then..."

"_Phoenix Flare!!"_

Doerai blocked the attack, smirking.

"That's quite enough, Kokoro."

Hitomi growled, but just an explosion was heard behind the group, making them turn around in shock.

"W-What?" Akemi wondered, utterly confused. Nick took caution beside her.

"Something's not right here..."

Doerai laughed.

"See? It's useless... It's already started."

"That's not true, Doerai!!"

Everyone perked up at the new voice. Even Doerai cursed.

"It's not possible..."

"Think again, freak!!" another voice rang out.

Nick's eyes widened.

It just can't be...

_"Spirits of mother nature..."_

_"Spirits of father time..."_

A bright glow showed up in the distance, there was no longer any doubt.

_"Together, with enough will and determination to shape our future, we'll overcome the differences set through our past!!"_

Nick let out a gasp as he saw the energy gather. There wasn't any doubt now...

_"Double Ojamajo Supernova Serenade!!"_

Doerai was nailed firmly with the attack, and faltered, cursing.

Everyone else, with the exception of a grinning Torikki, just stared on with both shock and disbelief.

"No... way..." Akemi squeaked, covering her mouth.

"Hey there..." one of the figures stated cheerfully. "You four look like you had fun..."

"We missed a lot..." the other stated, giggling. "But that's gonna change now, for sure."

The smoke cleared, revealing none other than...

"Yuki-chan?! Doremi-chan?!"

Yuki beamed, but coughed, dusting off her dress, which was covered with ashes.

"Hey... Turns out we're not really dead... Wow..."

As if on cue, a dove flew by, and the two girls smiled brightly at the creature.

"Thank you, Akatsuki-kun..." Doremi whispered, nodding.

"Thank _you_, Saiki-kun." Yuki whispered as well, closing her eyes. "I'm sorry for not believing in you."

The dove cooed, disappearing in a bright white light.

The two girls turned back to the battle, pulling each other close.

"So..."

They both winked.

"What'd we miss?"

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Next time:

Phase 16: Sparkling in the Winter Snow

As the final battle rages on, Nick's perfectly convinced that he cannot and _will _not lose. With Yuki's as well as Doremi's surprise show-up in the battle, the tables seem to be turning... But unfortunately, it's far from over... But then, Utau...


	16. Sparkling in the Winter Snow

_Previously on Doerai: Dawn of the Darkness..._

"_Double Ojamajo Supernova Serenade!!"_

Doerai was nailed firmly with the attack, and faltered, cursing.

Everyone else, with the exception of a grinning Torikki, just stared on with both shock and disbelief.

"No... way..." Akemi squeaked, covering her mouth.

"Hey there..." one of the figures stated cheerfully. "You four look like you had fun..."

"We missed a lot..." the other stated, giggling. "But that's gonna change now, for sure."

The smoke cleared, revealing none other than...

"Yuki-chan?! Doremi-chan?!"

Yuki beamed, but coughed, dusting off her dress, which was covered with ashes.

"Hey... Turns out we're not really dead... Wow..."

As if on cue, a dove flew by, and the two girls smiled brightly at the creature.

"Thank you, Akatsuki-kun..." Doremi whispered, nodding.

"Thank you, Saiki-kun." Yuki whispered as well, closing her eyes. "I'm sorry for not believing in you."

The dove cooed, disappearing in a bright white light.

The two girls turned back to the battle, pulling each other close.

"So..."

They both winked.

"What'd we miss?"

(Footage: As the opening begins, we can see a crystal-colored bird flying across the screen.)

_Habata itara modoranai to ittte_

_(You say if you could fly, you would never come back)_

(Footage: Nick and Akemi can be seen on the edge of the Burned Lands, looking into the sky towards the Floating Islands.)

_Mezashita no wa aoi, aoi ano sora_

_(You aimed for that blue, blue sky)_

(Footage: Nick stares towards the heavens, wondering if Yuki and Doremi are doing okay. During the instrumental, we pan into the sky. After about a second, Hitomi and Utau cross paths, and the _Doerai: Dawn of the Darkness_ logo appears on the screen.)

"_Kanashimi" wa mada oboerarezu "setsunasa" wa ima tsukami hajimeta_

_(You've yet to remember "sadness", just now began to grasp "pain")_

(Footage: Hitomi can be seen walking forward with Torikki happily trotting by her side.)

_Anata e to daku kono kanjou mo ima "kotoba" ni kawatte iku_

_(Even the feelings I held onto for you are just now turning into words)_

(Footage: Torikki looks up at Hitomi with a sad look on his face. This causes Hitomi to giggle before reaching down to pet Torikki.)

_Michi naru sekai no yume kara mezamete_

_(As you awaken from the dream of an unknown world)_

(Footage: Doerai looks out over his lair, laughing softly. He then jams his staff into the ground and turns it, causing a dark energy to blind the screen.)

_Kono hane wo hiroge tobitatsu_

_(Spread your wings and take off)_

(Footage: Akemi looks skyward, her hands joined in a prayer. She then throws her arms out and smiles, and sparkling angel wings sprout from her back.)

_Habata itara modoranai to ittte_

_(You say if you could fly, you would never come back)_

(Footage: Doremi can be seen posing with her hand on her forehead. Quick cut to her performing an Ojamajo Storming Spike against the Destroyer.)

_Mezashita no wa aoi, aoi ano sora_

_(You aimed for that blue, blue sky)_

(Footage: Yuki can be seen posing with her hands on her hips. Quick cut to her performing an Ojamajo Twilight Rain on a collection of shadow creatures.)

_Tsukinuketara mitsukaru to shitte_

_(If you break through, you know you'll find it)_

(Footage: Akemi can be seen posing with her hands locked together. Quick cut to her performing an Ojamajo Crystal Cannon against the Golem.)

_Furikiru hodo aoi, aoi ano sora_

_(So try until you break free to that blue, blue sky)_

(Footage: Nick can be seen posing with a peace sign focusing towards the camera. Quick cut to him performing an Ojamajo Arrow of Light against the Dragoon.)

_Aoi, aoi ano sora_

_(That blue, blue sky)_

(Footage: Quick flash of Doerai's lair on the Floating Islands, Doerai looking downwards.)

_Aoi, aoi ano sora_

_(That blue, blue sky)_

(Footage: Cut to Nick, Akemi, Hitomi, and Utau looking up towards the Floating Islands. Quick jump cut to them racing towards the islands, their hands all intertwined, and Doerai watching from afar as the song ends.)

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(Even in the brightest light, there is always a little bit of darkness.)

**YukiShinoya444** and **S.P.D. Gold Ranger** present:

_Doerai: Dawn of the Darkness_

Story Created: November 9th, 2008

Summary: AU. In the end, there is only a new beginning. The story continues as Nick and his friends go through another set of experiences... And what of the others?

On Today's Episode: As the final battle rages on, Nick's perfectly convinced that he cannot and will not lose. With Yuki's as well as Doremi's surprise show-up in the battle, the tables seem to be turning... But unfortunately, it's far from over... But then, Utau...

Authoress' Notes: This time, I will do the odds and Nick-kun will do the evens! Wai~

Disclaimer: ...Shouldn't it be obvious by now we don't own anything? (by S.P.D. Gold Ranger: EXACTLY, Yuki-chan.)

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Phase 16: Sparkling in the Winter Snow

"You may as well give it up now, Doerai!!" Nick exclaimed, his friends by his side. "There's no way in HELL that you're going to win now!!"

"You really are too stubborn for your own good," Doerai shot back. "You don't know when it's futile to continue fighting, do you?"

Nick just nodded. "I NEVER lose hope, not even when it's hopeless!! You should have figured that out by now, Doerai!!"

"And now that we're back in action, there's no way we're going to let Nick-kun lose this one!!" Yuki exclaimed, joining hands with Doremi.

"Akebono!! _Daybreak_!" Doremi exclaimed, clapping her hands as a pink ball of energy formed.

"Akebono!! _Beginning_!" Yuki exclaimed, clapping her hands to form her traditional twilight energy.

The two energies formed as the two witches pulled each other close, glowing with a rainbow light.

"_We won't let negai become mekura, even if that means throwing it all away... In truth, we just want naresome to shine through!"_

They threw out their hands, clenching onto the other.

"_Double Ojamajo Rewritten Masquerade!!"_

An immense burst of light shot forward and slammed into Doerai, the damage evident.

"I'm through playing around with you, brats," Doerai stated quite simply. "I believe it's time for you to die."

With that, Doerai dipped below the clouds, leaving Nick and Akemi confused.

"Where'd he go?" Akemi wondered.

"Stop being a coward, Doerai!!" Nick exclaimed.

As if to answer Nick's statement, Doerai popped up right behind them, his staff at the ready.

Akemi noticed this just in time to shove Nick away from the impending attack.

As the emerald witch recovered, he spun around and surrounded himself with a bright energy aura.

"Take THIS, freak!!!" Nick exclaimed, charging forward with the speed of a runaway freight train and slamming into the dark prophet, knocking the wind out of him. Akemi took this moment to prepare her own attack.

"_The frost-covered determination of a shy girl, take this!! Ojamajo Crystal Cannon!!"_

The frost-blue energy shot from Akemi's delicate palms and froze Doerai in his place, giving Nick the opportunity to fly into the air and come back down with a mighty overhead punch that knocked Doerai below the clouds and back towards the planet below.

"After him!!!" Nick exclaimed as all six of the supercharged teenagers shot down to where Doerai had fallen, only to notice that he was floating over a volcano... which had something oddly familiar climbing up it.

"It has begun!!!" Doerai proclaimed.

THAT was when Yuki noticed what was climbing up the volcano.

"The Destroyer?!!" Yuki exclaimed.

"No... we're too late!!" Nick noticed.

"Welcome to the end of the world," Doerai proclaimed as the Destroyer sunk into the volcano, causing a massive uproar as the volcano erupted in all directions, covering the land with volcanic ash and magma.

The area around them all began shaking as the planet began to break up under the force of the eruption.

"You are too late to stop this world's destruction," Doerai stated matter-of-factly. "So what will you do now?"

"It may be too late for our world, Doerai," Nick shot back, "but if we go down with this world, I will damn well take you down with me!!!"

"Such bold words," Doerai noted, readying his staff for battle.

Nick quickly joined hands with Yuki.

"_To the beings of hope..."_ Yuki chanted.

"_To the beings of spirit..."_ Nick continued.

"_Together with the ones that reside between light and dark, gather into our own hands and dispel the evil with our purity!!"_ both Nick and Yuki chanted, letting their arms rest around each other while drawing their free hands back.

"_Double Ojamajo Twilight Whirlwind!!"_

Doerai blocked the attack, though he still took some damage. "Insolent Ojamajos!!!" the dark prophet growled, unleashing multiple dark energy bursts that were easily dodged.

Akemi did a few graceful flips to avoid the attack before flying over and joining hands with Yuki, the twilight witch immediately getting the message.

"Arashi!! _Tempest!!_" Akemi exclaimed, clapping her hands so crystal energy formed in between.

"Arashi!! _Storm!!_" Yuki exclaimed, forming her usual twilight energy between her hands as well.

The two girls joined hands, both glowing with an impossibly bright sky blue aura, with flickers of sapphire.

"_When the seasons become calm, when bankan becomes renbo... That's when we stand up to kyogen!!"_

The two of then twirled, pulling each other close as if in dance.

"_Double Ojamajo Candid Soprano!!"_

Doerai couldn't do much but scream in agony as he was nailed by a powerful aura blast.

"My turn!! Ready, Torikki-kun?" Hitomi asked, to which Torikki just nodded.

"_Phoenix Flare!!!"_

"_Phoenix Ring!!!"_

Doerai was forced back even further as the ruby-red energy attacks slammed into him.

"STOP TOYING WITH ME!!!" Doerai exclaimed, officially at his limit. The dark prophet charged forward, grabbing Akemi by her shirt collar and attempting to slam her into the volcano.

"Let go of her, Doerai!!!" Nick shot back, flying towards Doerai like greased lightning and spin-kicking him in the head, allowing Akemi to break free and knock Doerai away with a powerful ballet kick.

Nick took this chance to grab Doerai by the arm, spin him around, and fling him into the erupting volcano.

Nodding to the others, Nick and the girls flew into the volcano.

"Why is it so hot in here?" Utau had to ask.

"And for that matter, why are we not burning up?" Yuki wondered. "We ARE in the middle of a freaking volcano!!"

"It's gotta be the power of the Crystals," Akemi noted. "The crystals must be protecting us."

"_Stay sharp..."_ Torikki noted, tensing up. _"We're nowhere near done yet..."_

"How right you are, stupid tanuki," Doerai's voice proclaimed.

"Don't you DARE call Torikki-kun stupid!!!" Hitomi snapped, turning towards the source of the voice. _"Phoenix Flare!!!"_

Hitomi was shocked to see that her attack had just bounced off of Doerai... or rather, an energy barrier that Doerai had set up.

"No more fooling around, brats!!" Doerai proclaimed. "It's time I stopped holding back on you!!"

"I could say the very same thing, Doerai!!" Nick challenged, his aura rapidly increasing.

"Let us begin, then!!!" Doerai exclaimed, unleashing a series of dark energy ripples that Nick was just barely able to dodge.

Nick countered with a rapid Ojamajo Arrow of Light, but was shocked to see Doerai easily bat it away.

"Is that the best you've got, accursed boy?!" Doerai exclaimed, holding his hands out. "Try this on for size!! _Trans Volans!!_"

Nick gasped in surprise, shifting into guard stance in order to block the ring of darkness that shot for him at an alarming speed.

"Not... too shabby, Doerai," Nick commented, quickly joining hands with Yuki.

"Flow!! _Ryudou!!_" Nick exclaimed, clapping his hands to form a ball of emerald energy.

"Flow!! _Michishio!!_" Yuki exclaimed, clapping her hands to form a ball of twilight energy.

"_When a kusabana blooms into a hanabatake, we'll watch as the hanazakari becomes beautiful to look at!!"_

Both Nick and Yuki were surrounded by a powerful silver aura, and Doerai was surrounded by a sharp looking shield of crystal-clear diamond.

Both Nick and Yuki smiled mischievously.

"What sorcery is this?!" Doerai exclaimed.

"_Double Ojamajo Shattered Capella!!"_

The shield exploded around Doerai, the shards of light energy severely damaging the dark prophet.

"Wretched little brats!!!" Doerai screamed, his staff glowing with an ominous light. "Now taste my power!! _Lumen Nebulae!!!_"

Nick was ready this time, channeling his energy and expanding it into a shield that protected himself and his friends from Doerai's attack.

"Seriously, Doerai, you're going to have to do better than that!!" Nick challenged.

"You want me to step it up, then? You asked for it, brat!!" Doerai shot back, channeling dark energy into his hands.

"Now be swallowed by the darkness!! _Malicious Death Ball!!!_"

The massive sphere of darkness shot for Nick at an alarming speed. The emerald witch stood his ground, ready for the attack...

...only to see it stop short of him and fly towards Akemi.

Nick gasped in shock, charging in front of the crystal witch and holding his arms out. The attack connected, breaking through Nick's guard and dealing quite a toll of damage.

"NICK!!!" Akemi screamed.

"Not bad, freak," Nick stated, still standing his ground despite the damage he'd taken. "But I'm still here. I won't go down that easily."

Akemi sighed in relief and draped her arms around Nick, glowing with a bright blue light.

"If you wish, brat," Doerai growled. "It's your funeral."

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Next time:

Phase 17: A Glimmer of Hope That Lasts Forever

As the final battle nears its conclusion, Nick and the girls seem to be in trouble, until Yuki reveals something she learned from Saiki that may be what they need to finish off Doerai once and for all...


	17. A Glimmer of Hope That Lasts Forever

_Previously on Doerai: Dawn of the Darkness..._

"Flow!! _Ryudou!!_" Nick exclaimed, clapping his hands to form a ball of emerald energy.

"Flow!! _Michishio!!_" Yuki exclaimed, clapping her hands to form a ball of twilight energy.

"_When a kusabana blooms into a hanabatake, we'll watch as the hanazakari becomes beautiful to look at!!"_

Both Nick and Yuki were surrounded by a powerful silver aura, and Doerai was surrounded by a sharp looking shield of crystal-clear diamond.

Both Nick and Yuki smiled mischievously.

"What sorcery is this?!" Doerai exclaimed.

"_Double Ojamajo Shattered Capella!!"_

The shield exploded around Doerai, the shards of light energy severely damaging the dark prophet.

"Wretched little brats!!!" Doerai screamed, his staff glowing with an ominous light. "Now taste my power!! _Lumen Nebulae!!!_"

Nick was ready this time, channeling his energy and expanding it into a shield that protected himself and his friends from Doerai's attack.

"Seriously, Doerai, you're going to have to do better than that!!" Nick challenged.

"You want me to step it up, then? You asked for it, brat!!" Doerai shot back, channeling dark energy into his hands.

"Now be swallowed by the darkness!! _Malicious Death Ball!!!_"

The massive sphere of darkness shot for Nick at an alarming speed. The emerald witch stood his ground, ready for the attack...

...only to see it stop short of him and fly towards Akemi.

Nick gasped in shock, charging in front of the crystal witch and holding his arms out. The attack connected, breaking through Nick's guard and dealing quite a toll of damage.

"NICK!!!" Akemi screamed.

"Not bad, freak," Nick stated, still standing his ground despite the damage he'd taken. "But I'm still here. I won't go down that easily."

Akemi sighed in relief and draped her arms around Nick, glowing with a bright blue light.

"If you wish, brat," Doerai growled. "It's your funeral."

(Footage: As the opening begins, we can see a crystal-colored bird flying across the screen.)

_Habata itara modoranai to ittte_

_(You say if you could fly, you would never come back)_

(Footage: Nick and Akemi can be seen on the edge of the Burned Lands, looking into the sky towards the Floating Islands.)

_Mezashita no wa aoi, aoi ano sora_

_(You aimed for that blue, blue sky)_

(Footage: Nick stares towards the heavens, wondering if Yuki and Doremi are doing okay. During the instrumental, we pan into the sky. After about a second, Hitomi and Utau cross paths, and the _Doerai: Dawn of the Darkness_ logo appears on the screen.)

"_Kanashimi" wa mada oboerarezu "setsunasa" wa ima tsukami hajimeta_

_(You've yet to remember "sadness", just now began to grasp "pain")_

(Footage: Hitomi can be seen walking forward with Torikki happily trotting by her side.)

_Anata e to daku kono kanjou mo ima "kotoba" ni kawatte iku_

_(Even the feelings I held onto for you are just now turning into words)_

(Footage: Torikki looks up at Hitomi with a sad look on his face. This causes Hitomi to giggle before reaching down to pet Torikki.)

_Michi naru sekai no yume kara mezamete_

_(As you awaken from the dream of an unknown world)_

(Footage: Doerai looks out over his lair, laughing softly. He then jams his staff into the ground and turns it, causing a dark energy to blind the screen.)

_Kono hane wo hiroge tobitatsu_

_(Spread your wings and take off)_

(Footage: Akemi looks skyward, her hands joined in a prayer. She then throws her arms out and smiles, and sparkling angel wings sprout from her back.)

_Habata itara modoranai to ittte_

_(You say if you could fly, you would never come back)_

(Footage: Doremi can be seen posing with her hand on her forehead. Quick cut to her performing an Ojamajo Storming Spike against the Destroyer.)

_Mezashita no wa aoi, aoi ano sora_

_(You aimed for that blue, blue sky)_

(Footage: Yuki can be seen posing with her hands on her hips. Quick cut to her performing an Ojamajo Twilight Rain on a collection of shadow creatures.)

_Tsukinuketara mitsukaru to shitte_

_(If you break through, you know you'll find it)_

(Footage: Akemi can be seen posing with her hands locked together. Quick cut to her performing an Ojamajo Crystal Cannon against the Golem.)

_Furikiru hodo aoi, aoi ano sora_

_(So try until you break free to that blue, blue sky)_

(Footage: Nick can be seen posing with a peace sign focusing towards the camera. Quick cut to him performing an Ojamajo Arrow of Light against the Dragoon.)

_Aoi, aoi ano sora_

_(That blue, blue sky)_

(Footage: Quick flash of Doerai's lair on the Floating Islands, Doerai looking downwards.)

_Aoi, aoi ano sora_

_(That blue, blue sky)_

(Footage: Cut to Nick, Akemi, Hitomi, and Utau looking up towards the Floating Islands. Quick jump cut to them racing towards the islands, their hands all intertwined, and Doerai watching from afar as the song ends.)

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(Even in the brightest light, there is always a little bit of darkness.)

**YukiShinoya444** and **S.P.D. Gold Ranger** present:

_Doerai: Dawn of the Darkness_

Story Created: November 9th, 2008

Summary: AU. In the end, there is only a new beginning. The story continues as Nick and his friends go through another set of experiences... And what of the others?

On Today's Episode: As the final battle nears its conclusion, Nick and the girls seem to be in trouble, until Yuki reveals something she learned from Saiki that may be what they need to finish off Doerai once and for all...

Authoress' Notes: This time, I will do the odds and Nick-kun will do the evens! Wai~

**Disclaimer: ...Shouldn't it be obvious by now we don't own anything? **(by **S.P.D. Gold Ranger: EXACTLY, Yuki-chan.**)

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Phase 17: A Glimmer of Hope That Lasts Forever

_If only... there was some way to defeat him..._

Hitomi bit her lip.

_I can't expect getting lucky anytime soon, but really... What have I even got to lose? I mean... Besides the obvious?_

She gulped.

_Am I willing to lose the princess again? Or even Nick? One thing's for sure, despite everything I know..._

The young mistress' eyes darted to her beloved tanuki, her eyes a glimmering, crystal clear.

_Torikki-kun... My precious Torikki-kun... How could I ever lose him, of all things to lose, huh?_

A smile stretched across her lips.

Easy. I can't.

Nick gulped himself, and looked at Akemi.

"Akemi..."

Akemi's smile broadened, and she nodded.

"I'm right here... Now... and _forever_."

Nick couldn't help but return the grin, squeezing the hand of his girlfriend.

"Let's."

Utau nodded vigorously.

"Yes, yes, yes!!"

Yuki and Doremi beamed, showing their pearly white teeth, despite still being covered in ashes from the Burned Lands.

_Yes... I just know we can do it... Despite all the odds, I just know we can!! I just know it!!_

Yuki's own hand tightened around the pink witch's one, and a sigh escaped her lips.

_We'll survive for sure... Won't we, Saiki-kun? We won't give up... No matter what happens, I promise you that. But..._

Her gaze turned thoughtful.

_What can we do, Saiki-kun? I'm confused..._

Her lips pursued, and she just bit her lip.

_Saiki-kun..._

The black witch huffed, snapping her attention to Doerai.

_Doerai!!_

"_The bow and string of a determined boy, take this!! Ojamajo Arrow of Light!!"_

Doerai merely blocked the attack, hmphing. Nick took caution, and Akemi bit her lip.

He really is... much stronger than I remember, after all...

Yuki and Doremi looked at each other.

"Are we going to die again, Yuki-chan...?" Doremi asked, her expression dire as her fingers twirled around the black witch's.

Yuki's expression turned stern.

"I won't let that happen." She stated firmly, stroking the red head's cheek. "I definitely will not let that happen, Doremi-chan."

Doremi couldn't help but smile.

_That's right..._

"Thank you, Yuki-chan."

_There's no way I can let Doremi-chan down!!_

"Alright then, let's finish this."

Doerai chuckled, staring down at the green witch.

"I've had enough of you, boy."

Nick rolled his eyes, but nodded in Akemi's direction.

"_Spirits of the earth..."_ Nick chanted, his hand tightening around Akemi's.

"_Spirits of the stars...."_ Akemi continued, glowing with a silver aura.

"_Lend us your wills and give up the power to grant a miracle!! Our beautiful souls shall crush your dark heart!!"_ they both exclaimed, the force around them becoming tense.

"_Double Ojamajo Sparkle Screw!!"_

Doerai cursed, blocking the attack, but still taking damage.

"Huh. Is that the best you really got?!"

Utau growled.

"Not likely, Doerai!" she exclaimed, raising her hands which were glowing with a neon blue.

Hitomi perked up, and Torikki nodded.

"_Go for it, Hitomi."_

Hitomi smiled brightly.

"_Right_!!"

"_Phoenix Flare_!!" she exclaimed as Utau shot a wave of blue energy, the two attacks merging into one that Doerai quickly formed a shield to block, but still trembled from the blow.

"Wow! Thanks, Hiko-chan!!" Utau exclaimed, earning Hitomi's nod.

"No problem, Utau-chan."

Torriki then crouched, growling.

"_Mistress... Looks like we have a few problems..."_

"Wha... OH." Hitomi smacked her forehead.

"Doerai just won't give up!!"

Doerai smirked.

Nick groaned himself.

_There has to be some way... If only..._

Yuki blinked, letting out a light gasp.

_If only...?!_

_Saiki-kun!!_

At thinking his name, her heart immediately sped up, as if she just ran a marathon, and knocked the breath out of her.

_Of course!! Of course, of course, OF COURSE, Saiki-kun!!_

Her eyelids lowered, her deep brown eyes going blank.

_Saiki-kun..._

"Yuki-chan?!" Doremi exclaimed, shaking Yuki's shoulders, immediately snapping her out of it. "What's wrong?! Did something happen?!"

Yuki just shook her head, eyes wide.

The pink witch's lips parted helplessly.

"Then... Then what is it, Yuki-chan? I-I... I... I'm just so confused... Please tell me..."

The black witch smiled a bit.

"It's nothing wrong... I..."

"Yuki-chan... I..."

"—_I want to show you something."_

_Yuki perked up as Saiki turned the notch, lowering the light in the dark room they were in._

_The black witch blinked, utterly confused as to what her boyfriend wanted to show her in the first place._

"_Sai... Saiki-kun?"_

"_Hm?" he turned to her, smiling angelically. Yuki instantly broke into a stutter._

"_U-Um... What do you what to show me?"_

_He laughed, an enchanting sound to the girl's ears._

"_Wouldn't you like to know..." he stated teasingly, shaking his head. "Tell me this, Yuki-chan dearest."_

_His eyes locked onto hers, and she froze into place, shivering as if she was freezing._

"_Y-Yes...?" her voice faltered as a blush broke out._

_A smirk played on Saiki's lips as he listened to her racing heartbeat before taking a breath._

"_Do you know what I've always told you..."_

"_T-That dark magic doesn't have to be evil?" she wondered, her voice shaking with unease._

"_No, not that."_

_He smiled warmly at her._

"_They always say... Even in the deepest darkness, there is always a little flash of light... And vice versa. There is no such thing as 'true' darkness, or 'true' light."_

_Yuki approached him, eyes wide._

"_Then... How do you defeat someone who is almost completely encased in it?"_

"_Aren't you the curious one?"_

_Saiki just laughed, turning back to the lantern._

"_Let's see..." he started as he turned the notch again, the room swallowed up in complete darkness._

_Yuki gasped, covering her mouth to muffle a scream._

"_S-Saiki-kun!!"_

"_Shhh..." she heard his voice whisper as his warm hand caught her wrist pulling her close._

_The light flickered on, and his face was mere inches from hers._

_Yuki's eyelashes fluttered._

"_Sai... Saiki-kun..."_

_He gave her a quick smile, placing a finger under her chin._

"_Yuki-chan... The answer to your question is so simple, it's almost practical."_

_She finally found her voice, and the volume was barely above a whisper._

"_Is... Is it really, Saiki-kun?"_

_He nodded, gently taking her face in his hands, as if she was a delicate flower, something that was not only fragile, but precious as well._

"_Just show them the light."_

_She nodded, obediently._

"_Yes."_

"Oh!!"

Yuki covered her mouth, her cheeks turning a deep shade of a bright, crimson-colored red.

Doremi blinked in confusion, but Nick took no notice.

"Looks like there's no other way..." he started before Yuki latched onto his arm.

"Wait, Nick-kun!!"

"Huh?" Nick flickered his gaze to Yuki.

"Yuki-chan...?"

"Nick-kun... I know how to win this."

Nick's eyes widened at the simple statement. He then smirked.

"Do you really, Yuki-chan?"

Yuki nodded, completely convinced of her epiphany.

"Yes..."

Nick just grinned.

"Alright, I believe you."

Yuki looked surprised but smiled brightly.

"Thank you, Nick-kun!!"

Doerai's expression turned suspicious. "What are they..."

"NOW!!" Every single one of them exclaimed at the same time, giving the other a high-five.

Nick and Akemi nodded at each other, joining hands. Doremi and Yuki joined hands as well. And Utau, as soon as she complained about being left out, joined hands with Hitomi, all of them glowing with a bright, heavenly light.

"_With all the tender feelings of a fully bloomed love..."_ Nick and Akemi started, glowing with a bright white light.

"_To all the gentle emotions of a delicate embrace..." _Yuki and Doremi continued, a bright, uplifting pink aura exploding out of them.

"_Finally with the true treasure of an everlasting friendship..."_ Utau and Hitomi chanted, glowing with a rainbow-colored aura.

Torikki grinned, encased with his very own crimson red aura.

"With all the combined feelings of our will and purity will go past beyond, and we won't give in to the darkness of our hearts!!"

Nick and Akemi threw out their hands.

"_Everyone!! Send us your power!!"_

The others nodded, and the couple glowed radiantly, shocking Doerai.

"Im... _Impossible_!"

"This is the end, Doerai!!" Nick exclaimed, tightening around Akemi.

"Nanimokamo!! Ojamajo Absolute Awakening!!"

The energy around them pulsed, combining into one as the energy rammed Doerai, earning a loud roar of pure agony.

The aura faltered as the damage was done, and Doerai shivered, seeming to fade away as the seconds passed.

"This... is... not... the end..."

"Just give it a rest," Hitomi shot back. "Now Torikki-kun's curse can be lifted... And this IS the end."

"Hahaha..." Doerai grinned wildly as he faded away into the wind.

"That curse... will never be lifted... Kokoro... And you'll... never even know how... I never did..."

And then he was gone.

Silence filled the area, and a voice spoke in the wind.

"_It's alright Nick," _Momoko stated. _"He's gone for good this time."_

Nick couldn't help but smile.

But Hitomi frowned.

"There... There's no hope for Torikki-kun?" she whispered, scooping up Torikki and hugging him to her chest.

Torikki coughed a laugh.

"It's alright Hitomi... It was hopeless for us, anyway."

Hitomi responded by muffling her sob in his fur.

Nick frowned.

"Hitomi-chan..."

Yuki held up a hand, and smiled.

"Don't lose hope, Hiko-chan!!" she exclaimed, cheerfully. "You'll turn Torikki-kun back someday!!"

The pair looked up, and Nick and Akemi stared at each other in shock.

"Turn... Him back?"

"_Damn it Nick, you really are slow."_ Torikki growled. _"Did you REALLY think this was my actual form?"_

Hitomi laughed weakly, standing up.

"Torikki-kun's really not what he seems... He's a human. Just like you."

"_Really_?"

Utau nodded, and Hitomi grinned.

"The curse was laid onto him because we had separate families, per see... Not only reducing him to this form, but shortening his life as well."

Akemi gasped, but Nick gulped.

"Our families didn't approve of us being so... What's the word? Oh yes, _intimate_. So think of us as Romeo and Juliet, only with animal transformation instead of banishment... Doerai tricked me."

Her smile grew rueful.

"He was right... I did free him... But only because he deluded me into thinking he would uplift Torikki-kun's curse. I'm sorry for causing such trouble, guys."

Yuki smiled.

"We forgive you, Hiko-chan."

"Figures you'd be the one to say that, my princess."

The 'princess' laughed.

"Doing it for the one you love... How could I, of all people, hold you against that?"

Doremi flinched, but smiled.

"I guess I really shouldn't be surprised..." Nick laughed. "No wonder you could do all those things, Torikki-kun."

Torikki seemed to hold back a laugh.

"Quick question, though." Doremi started, waving her hand.

"How do we get home?"

Silence.

Nick sweatdropped.

"I forgot about that..."

"_Oh, leave that to me."_ Torikki jumped from Hitomi's arms, glowing.

Hitomi's eyes then widened, flashing into a deep green, as she noticed her tanuki started changing shape.

When the light faded, in place of Torikki, was a boy around Nick's age, even with similar, but a much darker shade of brown, spiky hair. His eyes were the same different colors as Torikki's, one shade of red, and another shade of green. His attire was pretty simple, too, just a black vest over a pair of jeans, though his feet were bare.

"To... Torikki-kun?"

"Yeah, it's me." Torikki shrugged. "Looks like you succeeded after all, Hitomi."

Hitomi's fingers trembled, as if she wanted to embrace him but stayed frozen.

"Well come on," the former tanuki stated, spinning around so fast they couldn't see. "We're heading back to the city... To Hunter as well..."

He smiled at the group, grinning at the still shock on most of their faces.

"Let's send you kids home."

Nick and Akemi looked at each other, and Utau beamed. Yuki and Doremi smiled.

"Thank you, Torikki-kun."

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Next time:

Final Phase: A Bright World Up Ahead Followed By A Brighter Future

As Nick and his friends say their goodbyes to Hitomi and Torikki, not to mention Utau as well, they return to their world, completely convinced that there is still one thing that they may be missing as the wind blows in the right direction...


	18. Followed By A Bright Future

_Previously on Doerai: Dawn of the Darkness..._

"Quick question, though," Doremi started, waving her hand.

"How do we get home?"

Silence.

Nick sweatdropped.

"I forgot about that..."

"_Oh, leave that to me,"_ Torikki jumped from Hitomi's arms, glowing.

Hitomi's eyes then widened, flashing into a deep green, as she noticed her tanuki started changing shape.

When the light faded, in place of Torikki, was a boy around Nick's age, even with similar, but a much darker shade of brown, spiky hair. His eyes were the same different colors as Torikki's, one shade of red, and another shade of green. His attire was pretty simple, too, just a black vest over a pair of jeans, though his feet were bare.

"To... Torikki-kun?"

"Yeah, it's me." Torikki shrugged. "Looks like you succeeded after all, Hitomi."

Hitomi's fingers trembled, as if she wanted to embrace him but stayed frozen.

"Well come on," the former tanuki stated, spinning around so fast they couldn't see. "We're heading back to the city... To Hunter as well..."

He smiled at the group, grinning at the still shock on most of their faces.

"Let's send you kids home."

Nick and Akemi looked at each other, and Utau beamed. Yuki and Doremi smiled.

"Thank you, Torikki-kun."

(Footage: As the opening begins, we can see a crystal-colored bird flying across the screen.)

_Habata itara modoranai to ittte_

_(You say if you could fly, you would never come back)_

(Footage: Nick and Akemi can be seen on the edge of the Burned Lands, looking into the sky towards the Floating Islands.)

_Mezashita no wa aoi, aoi ano sora_

_(You aimed for that blue, blue sky)_

(Footage: Nick stares towards the heavens, wondering if Yuki and Doremi are doing okay. During the instrumental, we pan into the sky. After about a second, Hitomi and Utau cross paths, and the _Doerai: Dawn of the Darkness_ logo appears on the screen.)

"_Kanashimi" wa mada oboerarezu "setsunasa" wa ima tsukami hajimeta_

_(You've yet to remember "sadness", just now began to grasp "pain")_

(Footage: Hitomi can be seen walking forward with Torikki happily trotting by her side.)

_Anata e to daku kono kanjou mo ima "kotoba" ni kawatte iku_

(Even the feelings I held onto for you are just now turning into words)

(Footage: Torikki looks up at Hitomi with a sad look on his face. This causes Hitomi to giggle before reaching down to pet Torikki.)

_Michi naru sekai no yume kara mezamete_

(As you awaken from the dream of an unknown world)

(Footage: Doerai looks out over his lair, laughing softly. He then jams his staff into the ground and turns it, causing a dark energy to blind the screen.)

_Kono hane wo hiroge tobitatsu_

(Spread your wings and take off)

(Footage: Akemi looks skyward, her hands joined in a prayer. She then throws her arms out and smiles, and sparkling angel wings sprout from her back.)

_Habata itara modoranai to ittte_

(You say if you could fly, you would never come back)

(Footage: Doremi can be seen posing with her hand on her forehead. Quick cut to her performing an Ojamajo Storming Spike against the Destroyer.)

_Mezashita no wa aoi, aoi ano sora_

(You aimed for that blue, blue sky)

(Footage: Yuki can be seen posing with her hands on her hips. Quick cut to her performing an Ojamajo Twilight Rain on a collection of shadow creatures.)

_Tsukinuketara mitsukaru to shitte_

(If you break through, you know you'll find it)

(Footage: Akemi can be seen posing with her hands locked together. Quick cut to her performing an Ojamajo Crystal Cannon against the Golem.)

_Furikiru hodo aoi, aoi ano sora_

(So try until you break free to that blue, blue sky)

(Footage: Nick can be seen posing with a peace sign focusing towards the camera. Quick cut to him performing an Ojamajo Arrow of Light against the Dragoon.)

_Aoi, aoi ano sora_

(That blue, blue sky)

(Footage: Quick flash of Doerai's lair on the Floating Islands, Doerai looking downwards.)

_Aoi, aoi ano sora_

(That blue, blue sky)

(Footage: Cut to Nick, Akemi, Hitomi, and Utau looking up towards the Floating Islands. Quick jump cut to them racing towards the islands, their hands all intertwined, and Doerai watching from afar as the song ends.)

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(Even in the brightest light, there is always a little bit of darkness.)

**YukiShinoya444** and **S.P.D. Gold Ranger** present:

Doerai: Dawn of the Darkness

Story Created: November 9th, 2008

Summary: AU. In the end, there is only a new beginning. The story continues as Nick and his friends go through another set of experiences... And what of the others?

On Today's Episode: As Nick and his friends say their goodbyes to Hitomi and Torikki, not to mention Utau as well, they return to their world, completely convinced that there is still one thing that they may be missing as the wind blows in the right direction...

Authoress' Notes: This time, I will do the odds and Nick-kun will do the evens! Wai~

Author's Note: Here it is, the final phase!! In case you're wondering, the insert song used in this last phase is "Guide You Home (I Would Die For You)", sung by Rebecca Kneubuhl and Gabriel Mann.

Disclaimer: ...Shouldn't it be obvious by now we don't own anything? (by S.P.D. Gold Ranger: EXACTLY, Yuki-chan.)

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Final Phase: A Bright World Up Ahead Followed By A Brighter Future

"Well, we did it," Nick stated.

"Of course we did, Nick-kun!!" Yuki exclaimed. "Now everyone whose lives have been screwed up by Doerai can all live in peace.

"It's definitely been one hell of a roller-coaster ride, let me tell you," Hitomi giggled. "I'm just glad it's all over..."

"I guess we've gotta say goodbye now," Nick wondered. "We do still have a city to protect back home, you know."

Hitomi couldn't help but giggle at this. "You worry about that when we send you home, okay?"

Nick grinned slightly.

"Now, Torikki-kun, don't try to bite me for what I'm about to do, okay?" Nick stated. "I need to say this."

"Just make it quick, okay?" Torikki responded.

That settled, Nick walked up to Hitomi.

"I'll admit, Hiko-chan, you've been quite the mystery to us ever since we started this little quest," Nick explained. "And though it WAS you who may have released Doerai, you DID help us finish him off for good. And I'm very grateful for that."

Not wasting another second, Nick leaned forward and pecked Hitomi on the cheek, causing her to blush like crazy.

"_Arigatou_, Hitomi-chan."

"No problem, Nick-kun!"

"WE DID IT!!!" Utau exclaimed, her golden hair flapping in the breeze as the sun began to rise on a new day, free of Doerai's rule. "WE ACTUALLY DID IT!!!"

Akemi giggled. "We sure did, Utau-chan."

"It's kinda funny, isn't it?" Nick noted. "Doerai was the very epitome of darkness, and yet he was defeated by both darkness, light, AND twilight together."

"Yeah..." Doremi stated.

"Think about that..." Nick responded.

"He forgot that there's no 'true' darkness or 'true' light," Yuki interjected. "Just like Saiki-kun told me."

"It was basically his own arrogance that did him in," Hitomi noted.

"Now remember, you guys," Torikki cut in. "You four have your own world to protect, as do we. We'll take good care of this place. We promise."

"I wouldn't ask for anything more, Torikki-kun," Nick replied. "Now don't you get TOO lovey-dovey with Hitomi-chan, all right?"

Hitomi immediately blushed at this.

Nick couldn't help but laugh at that. "That's something Ai-chan always used to say to me and Momoko. She liked to think we were getting too romantic for our own good."

"I see..." was all Hitomi had to say.

"Well, I think it's about time we sent you home!" Utau giggled. "We do have work to do..."

"We're going to miss you, Utau-chan," Akemi stated, picking her future daughter up and hugging her tightly.

"You'll see me again," Utau replied. "Sometime in the future!!"

Nick walked over and kissed Utau on the forehead. "Take good care of yourself, okay, Utau-chan?"

"Will do, dad!!" Utau giggled as Akemi set her down.

"We'll see you when we see you, I guess," Doremi stated as they all began to glow with a bright light.

"Good luck, everyone!!" Hitomi exclaimed as Nick, Yuki, Akemi, and Doremi all rose into the air and disappeared from sight.

Hitomi just smiled. Suddenly, she heard footsteps behind her.

"Oh, it's only you, Hunter," Hitomi noted. "So, you didn't tell Nick-kun who you really are?"

Hunter just shook his head. "Nah. I'm sure he can figure it out on his own."

Just then, Hunter's hair changed from silver to light-brown, just like Nick's.

"Yeah. He's a smart kid," Hitomi stated, to which Utau giggled.

"I'm sure of it... _ojii-chan_," Utau stated to Hunter, who just smiled knowingly.

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_Back in the present time..._

"Ah, it's good to be home again," Doremi stated.

"But why are we in the theater again?" Yuki asked.

Nick noticed that Yuki was right; the four had been transported back to the Sekai no Yume Cinema.

"I think they sent us back to where we first met Utau-chan," Nick wondered. "Back to where this crazy adventure began."

_This is the darkest night_

_Stars have all faded away_

_Quiet upon this world..._

"So, it's really all over?" Akemi asked.

"It should be," Nick replied. "If anything ever tries to destroy our world, we'll be ready for it. We won't let the others down."

"Well spoken, Nick," Akemi stated, kissing her boyfriend on the forehead.

Through the clouds, there is a light

_We will find our way..._

"Now, who feels like going to see a movie?" Yuki giggled.

"About freaking time!!" Nick exclaimed. "I've been waiting WAY TOO LONG to see the _Code Geass_ movie!!"

Giggling to themselves, Akemi and Doremi followed Nick and Yuki into the theater.

I would die for you, cross the sky for you

_I will send out a light burning for you alone_

_You're all I need to set me free,_

And this fire will guide you home

Once the movie was over, the satisfied quartet began making their way home.

"I guess I should be thanking Saiki-kun after all," Yuki stated to nobody in particular. "Even in death, he was able to help us stop Doerai for good. _Arigatou_, Saiki-kun... wherever you are..."

Yuki could swear she'd seen her true love smiling at her from the heavens.

There is an open door

_Somehow it feels so familiar..._

We have been here before

"It's gonna be good to relax for a while," Nick noted.

"I just want to SLEEP!!! I'm EXHAUSTED!!!" Yuki exclaimed, to which Doremi just giggled.

"How about we head home, Yuki?" Doremi stated, addressing her girlfriend intimately. "We can sleep through the rest of the day if we have to."

"That sounds good to me, Doremi!!" Yuki responded. "We'll see you two lovebirds later, okay?"

"I repeat: I could say the same to you," Nick stated as he and Akemi waved goodbye to their friends.

Through this old forgotten fight

_There must be a way..._

"They never change, do they?" Nick teased, to which Akemi giggled.

"They're our friends, Nick," Akemi responded. "They'll always be that way. Come on, let's go home."

"Probably the best idea I've heard all day," Nick replied as he joined hands with Akemi.

I would die for you, cross the sky for you

_I will send out a light burning for you alone_

_You're all I need to set me free,_

And this fire will guide you home

About halfway back to the Suzuki household, Nick felt a tap on his shoulder. He turned around and saw Momoko floating there, still transparent.

"Hey, there," Nick stated.

"_It's good to see you again, Nick,"_ Momoko noted. _"You guys did a great job out there."_

"Well, what can you expect?" Nick replied, striking a sorta-heroic pose. "When is evil going to learn that they're never gonna win as long as we're alive?"

Momoko giggled at this. _"Well said, Nick. But isn't there something you've got to say to Akemi-chan?"_

This confused Nick. "What do you mean, Momoko?"

Where our hearts are wide open Where our bond is unbroken

Momoko just smiled and held out her hand. _"Close your eyes for a bit, okay?"_

Nick did so, and a couple seconds later, when he was able to see clearly, there was a ring with an aquamarine crystal engraved in it sitting in his open palm.

Nick blushed like mad as he realized what Momoko was implying. "Are you... are you sure, Momoko?"

I would die for you, cross the sky for you I will send out a light burning for you alone

Momoko just nodded. _"She's been so good to you, Nick. I know you've found a wonderful woman in Akemi-chan. So go for it!!"_

"You're sure?"

"It's just like Saiki-kun said to Yuki-chan: as long as you're happy, I'll be happy. Okay?"

Nick nodded. "I understand."

I would die for you, cross the sky for you

_I will send out a light burning for you alone_

You're all I need to set me free

Momoko nodded, leaning forward to kiss Nick on the cheek before disappearing.

Confidence swelling in his mind, Nick turned towards the crystal witch.

"I can do this," Nick stated to nobody in particular.

"What's up, Nick?" Akemi asked.

_I can do this,_ Nick thought.

I would die for you, cross the sky for you I will wait for you, and I'll stick with you

"Akemi, there's something I need to ask you," Nick stated, suddenly feeling very nervous all of a sudden. "Something important."

Akemi just smiled. Unbeknownst to Nick, she'd heard the conversation he and Momoko had just had.

"Over the past couple months, you've been wonderful to me. It's something I don't think I could ever thank you enough for. And, well..."

Akemi cut Nick off when she walked up to him, stood on her tiptoes, and kissed her boyfriend quite passionately.

You're all I need to set me free

"Of course I'll marry you, Nick. You don't even have to ask."

"Really, Akemi?"

Akemi nodded. "We may have to wait a couple years, but I'd love to be your wife, Nick."

Set me free, and this fire will guide you home

"God, is THAT a load off my mind," Nick sighed in relief. "I've never been able to keep my cool in situations like this."

"It's okay, Nick. We can worry about that when it's time. For now, let's just go home."

Nick nodded, wrapping his arms around his future wife.

Could life be any better?

(Author's Note: And WE'RE DONE!!! Well, almost. Here's the ending sequence, "Motherland" by the wonderful Crystal Kay!)

_kimi ga tabidatsu hi wa_

_itsumo to onaji 'ja ne' to te wo futta_

_(On that day you left,_

_I just waved good bye as usual)_

(Footage: Nick and Akemi can be seen standing together on the cliffs overlooking Misora. Nick's hands tighten around Akemi's, who just smiles.)

_marude ashita mo mata kono machi de au mitai ni_

(As if we were to meet again in this city)

(Footage: Yuki and Doremi are sleeping soundly at the Harukaze household. A little line of drool can be seen coming from Yuki's mouth.)

_ai wo shinjiru no wa jibun ni mo makenai koto_

_(To believe in love is to not lose to myself until my wish comes true)_

(Footage: Utau and Hitomi can be seen watching over the Burned Lands as the Floating Islands disappear into the distance. The now-human Torikki walks up and wraps his arms around Hitomi, causing her to blush. Utau just giggles.)

_yume ga kanau hi made egao no mama hoshi wo mite inori sasage koko ni iru kara_

(I'll remain with a smile and look at the stars, praying, and will be here)

(Footage: Momoko can be seen watching Nick and Akemi from the spirit world, smiling brightly at the two lovebirds. Saiki walks up and smiles at Momoko, who quickly returns it.)

_watashi wa kimi ni totte no sora de itai_

_kanashimi made mo tsutsumi konde_

_(I want to be the sky for you_

even enveloping all of your pains)

(Footage: We see Nick and Akemi walking down the early morning streets, their hands intertwined. Akemi looks up into the sky and smiles. Nick quickly does the same.)

_itsudemo miageru toki wa hitori janai to_

_tooku de omoeru you ni_

_(Whenever I look up, I want to feel_

that I'm not alone even if I'm far away)

(Footage: Nick and Akemi stop at the cliffs, laying down together on the grass and staring up at the sun, their hands still joined. They eventually fall asleep this way.)

_kaeru basho de aru you ni_

(Let there be a place I can return to)

(Footage: We see a few items onscreen: Saiki's letter, Nick's promise ring, and Akemi's hair clip.)

"Am I glad that nightmare's over, right, Torikki-kun?"

"Me, too, Hitomi."

"We've done it!! WE DID IT!!!"

"You never really change, do you, Utau-chan?"

"I could say the same for you, _ojii-chan_."

Hitomi looked out over the city of Warfang. It was still in ruins, but with Doerai's rule erased, she knew everything would be so much better from now on.

"All right, everybody, let's head home. We've got work to do."

_~Owari~_


End file.
